The common adage ‘not all heroes wear capes,’ perfectly suits Morocco’s midfielder Neil El Aynaoui who has been a key player for the Atlas Lions on their way to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. Brahim Diaz maybe taking the biggest limelight in Morocco’s pursuit for the coveted crown, rightly so, but El Aynaoui has been going nearly perfect in his role, crucially offering cover to the backline given his industry and ability to patrol the midfield but equally igniting attacks on the other end. If Diaz is Morocco’s gleaming ideal, then the 24-year old midfielder who plies his trade at AS Roma in Italy is the team’s pragmatic bottom line.
Morocco haa been growing into the tournament and equally El Aynaoui’s impact and influence has been. The midfielder alongside goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and defender Nayef Aguerd are the only players that have played every minute for the Atlas Lions at the tournament this far.
The first two games, against Comoros and Mali saw coach Walid Regragui deploy both El Aynaoui and Sofyan Amrabat but the move did not work. The injury to Azzedine Ounahi who was ruled out for the rest of the tournament further complicated things for the coach. In the subsequent games, Regragui opted to have El Aynaoui at the base of the midfield with Ismael Saibari and Bilal El Khannouss playing ahead of him.
El Aynaoui has since stood out for his physical power, ability to cover large areas of the pitch, and strong tactical awareness. He is a dynamic midfielder praised for his technical intelligence, work ethic, and versatility, balancing defensive solidity with progressive, attacking play.
His defensive contributions (interceptions, blocks, clearances and tackles) across all the six games he has played have been outstanding. In total, El Aynaoui has had 23 defensive contributions as revealed below.
Morocco vs Comoros – 4
Morocco vs Mali – 5
Morocco vs Zambia – 1
Morocco vs Tanzania – 2
Morocco vs Cameroon – 4
Morocco vs Nigeria – 7
In the semifinal game against Nigeria where he registered seven defensive contributions, El Aynaoui suffocated the Super Eagles passing lanes through the middle. It should be noted that this is an area where Nigeria had thrived since the start of the tournament with Alex Iwobi often being the ochestrator, finding either Adams Akor or Ademola Lookman.
It is not surprising that Nigeria over 120 minutes was limited to just one shot on target and very few inroads at the Moroccan goal. The AS Roma player’s reading of the game and positioning were central to that control.
For those that didn’t follow him at AS Roma, AFCON 2025 has given El Aynaoui a platform to show is adeptness. Defensively, he wins duels, makes interceptions and tracks runners tirelessly. In possession, he is calm and intelligent, choosing the right moments to move forward and creating overloads in attack by stepping into advanced areas when space opens up.
As Morocco prepares to face Senegal in the final on Sunday, they will need the midfielder to have another dominant display.