Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak dreams of lifting Women’s AFCON trophy

CAIRO: Ghizlane Chebbak does not remember a time without a ball at her feet.

Her late father, Larbi Chebbak, who helped guide Morocco to the Africa Cup of Nations title back in 1976, gave her a football when she was a little girl — and it was love at first sight.

She would play in the streets of her neighborhood in Casablanca with her brothers and other boys and has memories of herself as an eight-year-old already playing football at a club.

“In my neighborhood, I was the only girl playing football,” Chebbak told Arab News. “My family helped me continue in the sport. My father loved football. My brothers love football. My mother encouraged me to play football. I didn’t have a problem with my family. Girls who stop playing usually have problems with their families.

“Alhamdulillah, I had a lot of support from my family. They were happy when they saw me playing football. That made me happy and made me more comfortable playing the game. I always say this, to this day, I am lucky that I have a family who loves sports and loves football in particular.”

Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak with her mother after their WAFCON win

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Buoyed by that support, Chebbak has gone on to become arguably the greatest and most influential player in the history of Moroccan women’s football. Now 35, she is ready to lead the Atlas Lionesses in a third consecutive Women’s AFCON.

Winner of the Golden Boot in the previous two WAFCON competitions, netting five goals last year and three in the one before that, Chebbak is determined to secure the title with Morocco — starting with a match against Kenya at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday.

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