Ayane holds key for Morocco Down Under

Morocco head to a first ever Women’s World Cup finals buoyed by their recent rapid rise in the game and hoping to emulate their men’s side who stunned the world with their semifinal place in Qatar at the end of last year.

It has been an incredible few years for the Moroccan’s women team, who have uncovered new gems and look a side very much on the up.

Key to their recent success has been playmaker Rosella Ayane, who was born in England and plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the Women’s Premier League.

Ayane is a former England junior international but in 2021 the 27-year-old switched allegiances to the land of her father. She might also have represented Scotland through her mother.

She is comfortably the most experienced and accomplished player in the Moroccan team and they will rely heavily on her Down Under.

She came through the youth ranks at hometown club Reading before being poached by Chelsea, where she was polished through the club’s Centre of Excellence.

She made her first team debut in 2013 at the age of 17, but then had a succession of loans at Millwall, Bristol City and Everton. In the end, she only made six appearances for Chelsea before joining Cypriot side Apollon Limassol and then a permanent return to Bristol City.

She finally found a permanent home at Tottenham, where she has spent the last four years. Ayane helped the club to ninth in the 2022/23 season, playing 19 of their 22 games.

When it became clear she would not have an extended run in the England senior team, she took the opportunity to play for Morocco, making her debut in June 2021 and scored within a minute of coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over Mali.

She was a key figure for Morocco as they made the final of the 2022 Africa