Hakimi in Spanish, Ziyech in English… but Regragui made them all speak Darija together
With Achraf Hakimi, Walid Regragui could speak Spanish. With Hakim Ziyech, English. But as soon as he brought the Atlas Lions together, another rule applied: Darija became the common language.
The former Morocco manager detailed this approach in an interview with VESTIAIRES Coaching. In one-on-one conversations, he deliberately adapted the language to his interlocutor: Spanish with Hakimi, English with Ziyech, French with Romain Saïss.
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In a group setting, however, Regragui wanted to return to a common reference point: Darija. The aim was not only to facilitate exchanges, but also to strengthen the sense of belonging to the same national team despite very different backgrounds.
Bringing together the children of the diaspora
This rule took on its full meaning in a team largely made up of players born or trained abroad. Regragui explains that he wanted to bring the “children of the Moroccan diaspora” together around a single project.
Not all of them nevertheless mastered Darija perfectly. Translators could therefore step in so that no one was excluded from team talks. The common language was meant to bring people together, not create an additional barrier.
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Regragui’s approach was thus based on a simple distinction: adapt to each person in private, but create a common identity as soon as the entire dressing room was together. Hakimi could become Spanish-speaking again, Ziyech English-speaking or Saïss French-speaking once the individual discussion was over; together, they first and foremost had to be Morocco’s players.
