Morocco coach Herve Renard, France’s Blaise Matuidi and some Atlas Lions’ players including Achraf Hakimi and Ennesyri Youssef have taken to social media to celebrate Medhi Benatia’s birthday.
The former Bayern Munich and Roma centre-back was born to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother in Courcouronnes, France on April 17, 1987.
After making his international debut for Morocco against Zambia in November 2008, Benatia guided the north African nation to the Fifa World Cup after a 20-year wait and will be looking to lead his country to a successful outing in Russia as captain.
“From Clairefontaine to Juve, from little boy to big man, the years are past but the friendship is even stronger. Happy birthday my brother and soldier Benatia, long life to you. God keep you,” Matuidi wrote on Instagram.
