'And Me? I'm a Player Too': Street Campaign Touches Hearts Ahead of AFCON 2025

In recent days, a series of anonymous posters have appeared across Casablanca, Tangier, and Agadir, featuring close-up images of children's faces with a simple message: "وأنا؟ حتى أنا كْوايري" (And Me? I'm a Player Too). As Morocco prepares to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, this campaign reminds football enthusiasts that while recent successes may be linked to major investments and modern stadiums, the spirit and essence of the game still thrive in the streets.

Football in Morocco has always begun far from academies and official pitches, starting instead on dust, asphalt, and improvised dirt patches. It's found in barefoot races between buildings, plastic balls wrapped in tape, goals fashioned from two stones, and the familiar arguments that define every street match. The new posters, displayed in several cities, seem designed to bring this reality back to the forefront.

Over the past few days, residents of Casablanca, Tangier, and Agadir have noticed these posters on walls, fences, and even some digital screens. There is no logo, no sponsor, and no indication of who is behind them. Only the faces of children – Abdelsamad (13), Hamza (12), Zainab (11), and Mohamed (16) – looking directly into the camera beneath the prominent Darija phrase: "وأنا؟ حتى أنا كْوايري" (And Me? I'm a Player Too).

When looking at these posters, it's impossible not to recognize something familiar. These young faces could easily be Youssef En-Nesyri in Fes, dreaming on a small patch of ground; Nayef Aguerd in Kenitra, learning positioning and discipline on neighborhood pitches; Azzedine Ounahi in Casablanca, dribbling past everyone in the street; or Achraf Dari, shaped by the passionate football culture surrounding Wydad. Morocco's stars did not grow up on pristine turf; they grew up precisely in the places where these children stand today.

At a time when streets are filled with advertisements for AFCON 2025, this campaign appears entirely different and genuinely refreshing. There are no glittering stadiums, no official jerseys, no polished images of heroes—just children, our children, those who play in alleys, on rooftops, and on the rough neighborhood pitches where most Moroccans learned their first touches of the ball.

Regardless of who is behind this campaign – and we will likely know soon – it has added a beautiful and welcome touch to the atmosphere of this continental event.