An entire continent that hopes to reach the finish line of the semifinal for the first time.
The Arab world that has found a new strong bond.
Millions of stories of families who moved across half of Europe and then linked to millions of other different stories.
Morocco's success has many faces and many pieces and, almost as a natural consequence, many fans scattered around the world.
Regragui's team against Spain was able to resist the exhausting Spanish ball possession for 120 minutes (plus steals), and then punished the red fury on penalties, showing great solidity.
With (or post) Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal it will probably take more, to succeed in the enterprise in which Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 failed one step away from the finish line, that is to bring Africa in the semifinals of the World Cup.
Thus, Hakimi and his companions will not have just one nation behind them, but the whole African continent and a piece of the European one: the victory against Spain was celebrated in the villages of sub-Saharan Africa who cheer on the last remaining team from the continent at stake, as in the main European cities where Moroccan communities have been established for years.
As in Turin, Reggio Emilia, Alessandria (to name the most consistent), as in Milan, Rome, Bologna, as in Verona where there have also been attacks: in Italy there are almost half a million Moroccans and to these are added those who have obtained Italian citizenship (and their children) who, however, maintain not only an emotional bond with their country of origin.
Moroccan players, like many of their peers, are the mirror of this multiculturalism.
Goalkeeper Bonou was born in Canada, but grew up in Morocco after his parents moved back to their homeland.
Hakimi, the author of the spoon that ended the game, was born and raised in Madrid and in the Real youth academy.
Captain Saiss and Boufal were born in France, Chelsea jewel Ziyech in the Netherlands.
Cheddira from the Marches, who made his debut against Spain, was born in Loreto and raised in local teams, this year he joined Bari, in Serie B and his football parable has never moved from the lower Italian categories.
Many of them could have chosen another national team, but have decided to defend the colors of their fathers' land.
The home factor could then play in favor of Morocco: Qatar is an Arab country and the Arab world has found a new unifying factor in the Moroccan national team.
Which has a symbol in the flag of Palestine, which often appeared in the stands, and exhibited by the Moroccan players in the celebrations, not only as a pan-Arab symbol, but also to take advantage of the world stage to talk about an international issue.
After the victory against Spain, celebrations with Moroccan flags in the streets took place in Ramallah, the administrative capital of Palestine, and in Nablus, in the north of the country, where tensions with Israel have been strongest in recent weeks.
But it was also celebrated in the areas of Israel where there is a strong immigration of Jews from Morocco.
(HANDLE).
