France, Dec. 29 -- Loving one

Achraf Hakimi, the sidelined Morocco skipper, publicly said thanks to former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe who was at Morocco's match with Mali on 26 December. "It is really nice to see my friend here in my country," beamed Hakimi who played with Mbappe for three seasons at PSG before the Frenchman answered the call of Real Madrid in July 2024. "He really likes Morocco and comes here whenever he can with his family. He loves the food here."

Love-in too

Morocco boss Walid Regragui was oozing gratitude too. The 50-year-old was dishing out the compliments to PSG supremo Nasser al Khelaifi for letting Morocco's medics work with Achraf Hakimi on his return to fitness. "If Achraf is with us, it's th...