Gessime Yassine, under-20 champion, emerges as Morocco’s asset for the decisive stages of the World Cup

Although his physical appearance on the field may be discreet – smaller and more slender than most of his colleagues – player Gessime Yassine hides a brilliant talent and a meteoric trajectory. He is the only athlete from the entire current World Cup who has already won the world title with the Morocco team in 2025, in the U20 category, and is now looking to repeat the feat in the main tournament. His rise represents a strategic bet by the coaching staff on a talent that went exceptionally quickly from the base to the professional squad.

Yassine played as a starter for the Moroccan team in the U20 World Cup, which culminated in an unprecedented trophy after the victory over Argentina in October last year. His performance was remarkable, directly contributing to five of the campaign’s twelve goals and earning the trust of coach Mohamed Ouahbi. He was the only name in that squad called up for the “adult” World Cup, and in the debut match, against Haiti, he found the net after just 20 minutes on the field.

“I didn’t imagine getting here so quickly, especially in this World Cup,” expressed Yassine in an interview with FIFA. “Honestly, it was an overwhelming emotion for my family, for my parents, who have always supported me since I was little. It’s been incredible, it’s a great honor to see my parents proud. I play for the people, to bring joy to people.”

Yassine’s surprise at his quick call-up is well-founded. He had never been called up to the senior squad until Mohamed Ouahbi took charge, succeeding Walid Regragui, the coach who led Morocco to the semi-finals of the Qatar Cup in 2022. In a three-month period, Yassine participated in four friendlies before being included in the final squad for the World Cup.

The decision to include Gessime Yassine generated disagreements among Moroccan fans. Many expected the call-up of another highlight of the under-20 champion team: Yassir Zabiri, scorer of two goals in the final and one of the tournament’s top scorers, with five goals.

Mohamed Ouahbi defended his choice: “It’s not because the players were under-20 champions that they necessarily needed to be here. I don’t care how many or which ones they were, what I tried to do was observe their profile and what we were looking for in the team. Now we have Gessime, and he is very good, he deserves his place here. What I expect from him is no more, nor less than from any other player.”

The Moroccan team, with Yassine and Ouahbi, successfully advanced through Group C and now faces the Netherlands in one of the most anticipated clashes in the second phase of the World Cup. The teams meet in Monterrey, with the match scheduled for 10pm (Brasília time) this Monday (29).

Bet on the new generation of talents in Morocco

The most established and famous names in the Morocco national team already have well-established careers and are at their peak: Hakimi, at 27 years old, plays for PSG; Brahim Díaz, 26, defends Real Madrid; and Saibari, aged 25, has his transfer to Bayern Munich planned after the World Cup. However, the supporting cast is significantly younger, including athletes like Bouaddi and Yassine himself.

“We have players with great experience, our pillars, but everyone will need to assume the same responsibility, without exception. He (Yassine) will have to demonstrate his football, he will have to take risks, to show that Moroccan youth have value and will not back down from anything”, demanded the coach.

“If with the under-20 team it was already an incredible experience, what we will experience with the main team should be even more intense”, anticipates Yassine.