Moroccan-born Dutch former international Khalid Boulahrouz has delivered a scathing assessment of Brahim Diaz following his missed penalty in Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations final defeat to Senegal on Sunday.
Reacting to the decisive moment, Boulahrouz reflected on the pressure surrounding such situations and the choices players make when everything is on the line.
“Many scenarios run through your mind during the tournament, perhaps this was one of them: What would I do if I got a decisive penalty kick and became the hero of the match? Would I take a Panenka? Would I shoot into the top corner? Many things come to mind,” he said.
In comments published by Voetbal International, Boulahrouz argued that the criticism went beyond the miss itself.
“It goes beyond just missing a penalty. No one would object if he stood there and chose a corner, and the goalkeeper saved it or shot it wide. No one would blame him. But to decide to take a Panenka,” he said.
He insisted the decision reflected misplaced priorities at a critical moment in the final.
“This means that it’s about me. It’s not about Morocco, not about 40 million people, not about generations who have suffered from losing so many finals. That was the decisive moment, and Morocco had the momentum until the penalty kick. And he decides that it’s about him. This is painful, and you see the emotions on the players’ faces. You can’t play with that, my friend. You can do that when you’re 2-0 or 3-0 up, not at 0-0,” he stressed.
Boulahrouz also questioned Diaz’s overall impact during the tournament despite his goal tally.
“Diaz did not have a good tournament,” he stressed. “Yes, he scored 5 goals, but that’s just throwing dust in the eyes of the fans. If you look objectively at his level, you will not find that he has offered anything noteworthy except those goals.”
He concluded with a blunt message about professionalism on the biggest stage.
“But my friend, at that moment, none of that matters. What matters is that you put the ball in the net. That’s professionalism. You’re not Zidane, Ronaldo, or Hakimi. You don’t have that status. This is very painful, and it’s not permissible to play with this,” Boulahrouz stressed.
