Close rivals: Morocco’s French connection

Morocco manager Walid Regragui was born and raised in the southern suburbs of Paris and remarkably he was even a teammate of French striker Olivier Giroud for a brief spell

PARIS BORN: Morocco manager Walid Regragui during a press conference at the Main Media Centre in Doha, Qatar. Pic: PA

Manager Walid Regragui was born and raised in the southern suburbs of Paris and spent the majority of his playing career with French clubs. Remarkably he was even a teammate of French striker Olivier Giroud for a brief spell, spending a couple of months as teammates at Grenoble and sharing a pitch during pre-season in 2008 when Giroud was 21 and Regragui 32.