the Atlas Lions are back, welcomed by a roaring crowd,
young and old waiting hours for the chance to see them
to honour them,
a team that has made Moroccans proud.
So we are really proud of the national team and
what they have done at this World Cup in 2022.
So we are here to celebrate with them all the things they've done for us and
although we didn't win the final, it is very important for us to be
to be proud of what we made because we all made this together and made
history
well, yes, we made history. This team showed what Moroccans are capable of
and they showed the world how talented the Moroccan team is
very happy.
We came
from Holland just
to witness this.
It's a life achievement.
It feels like coming home. Tears, goosebumps, everything.
If you can see the people, the
happiness that it brought everything and
yeah, man,
we love you, Ma.
Watching from Casablanca is 73 year old
former central defender of Morocco's national team,
Ani
Abdulaziz played in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The team was made up of amateurs.
Abdulaziz worked as an engineer and practised
with his teammates during lunch breaks,
earning a few $100 a month to play for the national team.
We all wish to have been part of this team. They are so professional and youthful.
They clearly play for the love of their country, of their flag and of their king.
Most of the players were born abroad and are dual nationals.
To receive a hero's welcome from the country
of origin from where their families are from
is not just special.
It resonates for millions of people.
Listen
to
it
as
if
Morocco has won the World Cup.
The success of the Moroccan team
has brought a sense of pride.
There are millions of Moroccans.
I
ask
for the
world for Africans and this is the magic of Qatar 2022
not the end,
but the beginning of a new journey for the Moroccan football team in making history,
they now seem unstoppable,
carried by the support and love
of millions of people.
Nicholas Ha
Al
Jazeera, Rabat,
Morocco,