Midfielder highlights adaptation to Corinthians and, in the World Cup atmosphere, compares Brazil and Morocco
- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial
Hired by Corinthians in March 2026 after not renewing his contract with Dalian Yingbo FC, from China, midfielder Zakaria Labyad gave an exclusive interview to ge.globo and spoke about the similarities between Brazil and Morocco. In fact, the two countries will face each other this Saturday night (13th), at 7pm, at MetLife Stadium, to open Group C of the 2026 World Cup.
"Everyone in Morocco loves football. Children play football in the streets, older people also play. Everyone follows football. All the bars and restaurants will be full to see Morocco play the World Cup. It's always been like that. I think the way Brazil looks at football is the same as Morocco. If you look at the fans of the big clubs it's crazy", he began.
Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians
When talking about the fans of teams from both countries, Labyad stated that playing at the Neo Química Arena is 'crazy': "You can't compare it with Corinthians, because I think they have the best fans in the world. Playing at the Arena is a crazy feeling. In Morocco they also feel and love football differently. I see that at Corinthians here."
Subsequently, he projected his expectations for Morocco's performance in the World Cup. In 2022, the Moroccans were one of the sensations of the tournament and reached the semi-finals, when they fell to France, who were then defeated by Argentina in the final. He also cited a conversation with left-back Noussair Mazraoui, left-back for Manchester United, in England, and which he had with Bayern München, in Germany, about issues regarding the Brazilian team.
"If we talk about Morocco, everyone will remember the 2022 World Cup. This year they can reach the same place with a different style. In 2022 they played defense and counterattack, but when I saw the last game against Norway they came out playing defense. They had very good attacks."
"I spoke to Mazraoui, he is one of my best friends, he plays for United. We had a conversation about the Brazilian team. Both teams need to win this game, they both have big stars. It will be interesting. Seeing Morocco competing against Brazil will be very interesting, it is a football country like Brazil. It is a 50% game for each side. I play in Brazil, but I will support Morocco", he continued.
Then he added: "Of course we talked about Brazil, about several players. He has already played against Vinicius and other attackers. I talked about the midfielders and players who play in Brazil. They also look to play against Neymar, everyone wants to play against great players. I hope Neymar is well to face Morocco."
After not receiving as many chances under coach Dorival Júnior, the midfielder began to be used more with the arrival of Fernando Diniz, at the beginning of April. Under new technical command, he scored his first two goals for Timão: the first on May 21, in the 1 x 1 draw against Peñarol-URU, in the group stage of the Libertadores and, the second, against Atlético-MG, in Itaquera, in the 1 x 0 victory in the Brasileirão.
In this way, the number 52 analyzed how his adaptation to Brazilian football has been and, in this aspect, he cited the importance of coach Fernando Diniz and the most experienced athletes in the squad such as Memphis Depay and André Carrillo.
"It's been very good. My adaptation in Brazil is easy, I already speak and understand Portuguese. Brazilians are like Moroccans, very adorable. I already knew some players at Corinthians, like Memphis and Carrillo. They helped me. Corinthians is a great club, the pressure is great. I'm very happy at the club, especially in the last few games when I was able to score twice to help the team."
"I think I'm going to help the team a lot, I feel good. I'm training every day. The season isn't over. We finished the first half with a good victory against Grêmio. I feel great, I'm sure I'll make the fans very proud."
Labyad concludes: "I've had many coaches in my career. Diniz helps us a lot with and without the ball. He has a great relationship with all the players. He is very direct, when something is bad he says it, just like when it is good. I'm showing him the type of player I am. He knows my quality now, as does everyone at Corinthians. He's a different coach, has a different style and loves good football."
Since his arrival at Parque São Jorge, he has scored two goals and one assist in 14 games (one as a starter), including seven wins, two draws and five defeats - 54.76% success rate. Before wearing the Alvinegro shirt, he played for PSV (Netherlands), Sporting (Portugal), Vitesse (Netherlands), Fulham (England), FC Utrecht (Netherlands), Ajax (Netherlands), Yunnan Yukun (China) and Dalian Yingbo FC (China).
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Source: Timao Central