French superstars Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé are set to arrive in Morocco on Friday as the second round of matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway.
The Real Madrid forward and Paris Saint-Germain winger are expected in the host nation to lend their support to close friend Achraf Hakimi, who has recently recovered from injury and could feature when Morocco’s Atlas Lions face Mali in a crucial group-stage encounter.
With the hosts aiming to maintain momentum in the tournament, Hakimi’s possible return would be a major boost for Morocco, both on and off the pitch.
His leadership and experience remain central to the team’s ambitions on home soil.
The presence of Mbappé and Dembélé is also expected to add extra buzz around the Moroccan camp, further energising fans and underlining the strong bond between the three players.
Supporters will be hoping their attendance coincides with another commanding performance from Hakimi and his teammates as Morocco push for AFCON glory.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
