Moroccan Players in La Liga 2025-26: Goals, Assists and Who's Standing Out

Spain's La Liga has become one of the most significant finishing schools for Moroccan football talent. In the 2025-26 season, several Moroccan internationals are operating at the top level of Spanish football, contributing to clubs competing for European places and domestic honours. This piece covers the key Moroccan players in La Liga this season, with a focus on Brahim Diaz's 100-appearance milestone, the Ounahi-Ezzalzouli combination at Real Betis, and the broader landscape of Moroccan talent across the Spanish football pyramid.

Brahim Diaz: 100 La Liga Appearances and What It Means

The milestone came in 2026: Brahim Diaz reached 100 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid. For a player who has navigated one of the most competitive squads in world football — where playing time is rationed carefully and competition for forward positions is relentless — reaching 100 appearances in the Spanish top flight is a significant marker of sustained quality.

Diaz was born in Málaga in 1999 to a Moroccan family, and his football journey took him through Málaga's youth system to Manchester City's academy before Real Madrid signed him in 2019. The early years at the Bernabéu involved loan spells at AC Milan, where he showed the form that eventually earned him a permanent role in Real Madrid's first-team plans.

His La Liga profile is that of an interior forward: comfortable operating from wide left or right, drifting centrally, combining quickly in tight spaces. The Real Madrid system demands versatility and tactical intelligence from its attacking players, and Diaz has demonstrated both. His 100 appearances reflect a coach's trust — you do not reach that landmark at Real Madrid through luck.

The Morocco connection is as significant as the club narrative. Diaz chose to represent Morocco internationally despite being eligible for Spain, where he was born. That decision, formalised in a process involving FIFA eligibility, aligned him with his family's heritage and with a Morocco team that was already building toward something historic. His presence in the 2026 World Cup squad means those 100 La Liga appearances have been preparation, not just résumé.

For the 2026 World Cup in Morocco's Group C, Diaz's familiarity with playing in compact spaces, his close control under pressure, and his ability to operate alongside world-class teammates (at Real Madrid, every teammate is world-class) will be assets. He is, in the 2025-26 season, the most high-profile Moroccan player in Spanish football.

Real Betis: The Moroccan Connection

Real Betis of Seville have emerged as a notable destination for Moroccan talent, and in the 2025-26 season they have two Moroccan internationals in their squad: Azzedine Ounahi and Abde Ezzalzouli.

Azzedine Ounahi — On Loan from Marseille

Ounahi's route to Real Betis is a story of gradual European progress. He came through the Angers system in France before his 2022 World Cup performances — particularly his role in Morocco's midfield across several knockout matches — brought him to wider attention. Marseille signed him in early 2023, and the loan to Real Betis in the 2025-26 season represents the next step in that development arc.

At Real Betis, Ounahi operates in a possession-oriented system that suits his technical profile. Betis under Manuel Pellegrini (and subsequent coaches) have been consistent in building through midfield, using technical midfielders who are comfortable in tight spaces and can shift the tempo of play. Ounahi's ability to carry the ball forward, to receive in tight areas and turn, and to drive into the spaces between opposition lines makes him well-suited to this environment.

His World Cup credentials are established — he was one of the breakthrough performers of Qatar 2022, catching the eye of European clubs with a series of strong midfield displays. The Real Betis loan is an opportunity to translate that tournament exposure into consistent La Liga minutes and confirm himself as a top-flight player week to week.

Abde Ezzalzouli — Direct and Dynamic

Ezzalzouli represents a different profile to Ounahi. Where Ounahi is a technical central midfielder, Ezzalzouli is a wide forward — direct, capable of running at defenders in 1-v-1 situations, with the acceleration to cause problems for any left back in the division.

His presence at Real Betis alongside Ounahi means two Moroccan international players share a dressing room, a training pitch, and — regularly — a first-team game day squad. That shared club experience carries value at international level. When Morocco train and play together for the 2026 World Cup, the Ounahi-Ezzalzouli combination already has an established understanding from their Betis work.

Ezzalzouli's role in Morocco's attacking plans for the World Cup will likely centre on his ability to stretch defensive lines from wide positions. He is a direct option in behind, a 1-v-1 threat in the final third. Against deeper-block opponents — Haiti in the group stage, for instance — his quality in wide areas will be one of Morocco's primary attacking tools.

Hakim Ziyech: The La Liga Chapter That Wasn't

Any piece about Moroccan players in Spanish football has to acknowledge Hakim Ziyech's absence from this picture. Ziyech, one of the most technically gifted Moroccan players of his generation, is currently at Wydad AC in Casablanca and is not in recent Morocco squads. He was part of the 2022 World Cup squad, but his trajectory since then has moved away from European football's top levels.

His return to Wydad — a club with deep significance in Moroccan football — is a story in its own right, but his absence from La Liga and from the national team means the next chapter of Moroccan football in Spain will be written by others.

The Segunda División: Moroccan Depth in the Second Tier

La Liga's top flight is the most visible level, but the presence of Moroccan players in Spanish football extends into the Segunda División — Spain's second tier, a competitive league that has produced numerous players who have progressed to La Liga and to top European football.

Several Moroccan players have operated in the Segunda in recent seasons, gaining regular first-team experience in a professional league with strong tactical demands. The Segunda División is particularly valuable for young Moroccan players who have moved to Spanish clubs without yet securing a La Liga spot — it provides the consistent competitive football that development requires.

The pattern is established: Moroccan players in the Spanish football system, progressing through the Segunda toward La Liga, then potentially toward national team inclusion. Ounahi's path through France is one model; Ezzalzouli's more direct route to Betis is another. Both reflect a Spanish football ecosystem that has become increasingly open to Moroccan talent.

Why La Liga Matters for the 2026 World Cup

For Morocco's 2026 World Cup preparation, La Liga is not just a backdrop — it is a significant part of the story. Brahim Diaz's 100 appearances at Real Madrid represent tactical education at the highest level. Ounahi's Betis loan is sharpening the technical midfield qualities Morocco need to compete with the best. Ezzalzouli's direct wide play is being refined against La Liga defenders week after week.

The Spanish league's emphasis on technical quality, positional awareness, and the ability to operate in tight spaces under pressure mirrors precisely the demands of international knockout football. When Ouahbi prepares Morocco for June 2026, the La Liga contingent will bring not just quality but a specific type of quality — developed in a system that rewards exactly the attributes Morocco's game plan requires.

Brahim Diaz's 100th appearance was a milestone. It was also a statement: Moroccan players belong in the highest levels of European football, and the Atlas Lions will arrive at the 2026 World Cup with that standard embedded in their squad.