Eintracht Frankfurt’s Younes Ebnoutalib is reportedly set to play for Morocco, potentially ending any chance of a surprise call-up to Germany’s World Cup squad.
Ebnoutalib to Debut for Morocco
Ebnoutalib has apparently decided to play for Morocco’s national team, according to a report. The Eintracht Frankfurt centre forward is expected to be called up to the squad for the upcoming international matches at the end of March. Morocco is scheduled to face Ecuador and Paraguay in friendlies.
Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Ebnoutalib’s Frankfurt teammate, is also expected to debut in Morocco’s senior national team squad. The 21-year-old attacking player moved to Eintracht at the beginning of the year.
From Regional League to International Call-Up
Ebnoutalib once accepted an invitation to join Morocco’s U15 national team, but did not play in any matches. He has not been nominated for any further selections by the North Africans since then. His senior national team call-up comes after a period of rapid development.
At the beginning of 2025, he moved from FC Gießen to SV Elversberg. In the current season, Ebnoutalib scored twelve goals in the first half of the second division season. In early January, he made a Bundesliga debut for Eintracht, scoring against Borussia Dortmund. He then suffered a torn medial ligament in his knee and has been out of action ever since, but is back in team training.
Nagelsmann’s Striker Search
If Ebnoutalib had continued to impress, Julian Nagelsmann might have considered him for Germany’s World Cup squad. Nagelsmann described the striker position as “at least one area we need to work on.”