A double bet on the brilliance of Brahim Diaz.

Moroccans are pinning their hopes on the Spanish Real Madrid star Ibrahim Diaz to regain his brilliance at the right time and help the "Atlas Lions" overcome the hurdle of the Dutch "Oranje" in Monterrey, Mexico, in the Round of 32 of the North American Football World Cup, so they can continue their dream of repeating the achievement of the 2022 edition.

Diaz, who established himself as a star in the African Cup of Nations earlier this year by being named the best player and top scorer of the tournament (5 goals), has remained goalless, only providing two assists.

His performance was marred by many technical errors, such as excessive dribbling and failing to make the right decisions in passing to his teammates or shooting.

After receiving cheers and admiration from Moroccan fans for establishing himself as a hero in the Africa Cup of Nations, despite missing a penalty in stoppage time of the original time, which caused the chaos witnessed in the final match against Senegal, he found himself under fire from critics.

Former international midfielder Younes Belhanda criticized him, describing his performance in the first three matches as "disappointing."

He added in statements to local media that the reason for Diaz's poor performance is "his attempt to make a difference on the field by himself, wanting to be the star without relying on his teammates, which harmed the national team."

He continued: "At times, he could have passed the ball faster or made a second pass or a decisive assist, but instead, he slows down the play and tries to dribble, and that bothers me."

Diaz faced criticism in the last match against Haiti for wasting several easy chances and for causing the second goal after allowing Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor to control the ball without any resistance, which he shot powerfully into the net of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Belhanda questioned Diaz's mindset on the field, saying: "I think he is not on the right path at all, and I wonder if he wants to be the savior of the national team or if he is just trying to shine and show his level?"

The criticism peaked when a journalist asked coach Wahbi after the Haiti match if he was considering warning the Real Madrid star, but the "Atlas Lions" head coach strongly defended his player, saying: "We must not forget that Ibrahim was the top scorer of the Africa Cup of Nations and the best player in it, and he plays for Real Madrid. He is a very great player and will give us a lot."