The World Cup is the biggest stage of all, and with all eyes on the tournament, it is no surprise that clubs take notice of new players. One of the players that has garnered such attention is Morocco midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, who has a starting spot for one of the dark horses to win the tournament.
El Aynaoui, 24, has featured in all three of Morocco’s games as they progressed to the Round of 32 in second place behind Brazil, but remain unbeaten. Earlier this week, it emerged that both Barcelona and Real Madrid have scouts keeping an eye on El Aynaoui, as per Marca. Were the AS Roma man to move to one of Spain’s big two though, he would have a clear preference.
Father confirms El Aynaoui is a Barcelona fan
During an interview section posted by Aldar Maroc, his father Younes El Aynaoui has revealed that his son is a Barcelona fan. The former is an ex-tennis professional who reached number 14 in the world at one stage, and for a time lived in Barcelona. Neil was born in Nancy in France, but spent some of his childhood in the Catalan capital, hence he supports the Blaugrana.
“My son, he’s a Barca fan. Neil lived in Barcelona until he was 11. He would be the happiest person in the world if he played there one day,” his father commented.
El Aynaoui’s career so far
El Aynaoui came through the system at Nancy, where he broke into the first team, and began impressing in Ligue 2, and then National. RC Lens picked him up in 2023 for just €600k, and only two years later flipped him to Roma for €23.5m. It was a more discreet season in Serie A, where he managed just 1,703 minutes, but it has not impeded his impact in the Moroccan national team, for who he has 19 caps.
