Morocco's Boudaoui is one of the most promising young players in the Moroccan national football team, and he played in the recent match against Brazil in the 2026 World Cup. Boudaoui made a significant appearance in the match, making impressive passes and dribbling in the middle of the field. His performance sparked controversy, with many believing he would win the Man of the Match award, but the award went to Brazilian Vinicius Junior. The numbers show that Boudaoui was more influential than Vinicius throughout the match, winning 9 out of 14 two-on-one situations, recovering the ball 6 times, touching the ball 85 times, and making 3 successful dribbles out of 5, with a 91% passing accuracy, with 60 accurate passes out of 66. French newspaper L'Equipe praised Boudaoui's performance and gave him the highest rating among the players (8/10), stating that he was a key player in Morocco's effective counter-pressing when his team was under pressure. They added: "Boudaoui proved his worth, despite participating in only four international matches and being only 18 years old, he has already shown himself to be a key player." In his analysis of the Morocco-Brazil match, former English football star Steven Gerrard praised the performance of young midfielder Boudaoui, saying: "This young player's performance was outstanding, I was impressed by his performance in the second half of the match, and I started wondering how he reached this level." He added: "This kind of performance at this age is always amazing, especially against the Brazilian team, so it's truly exceptional, I wish Liverpool would follow him throughout the tournament and sign him after it's over." Boudaoui is one of the rising stars in French football, with the French national team waiting for him, but he chose to represent the Moroccan national team after a period of hesitation. This decision sparked controversy at first, but he eventually received the support of the Moroccan Football Association and his fans. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced its welcome for the player, stating that he has returned home.