After Moroccan teenage sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi carved up Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, and the Brazil national team in the first game of the 2026 World Cup group stages, the Lille standout was immediately linked to the biggest clubs in the world: Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, and Manchester United.
Bouaddi seemed to be very high on the list of Juni Calafat, Jose Mourinho, and the Merengues, with his name side by side with Mateus Fernandes and Enzo Fernandez as one of their top transfer targets. But now, Fernandes is with Tottenham Hotspur, Real released a statement stating they no longer want Fernandez, and Bouaddi fell off the list, too, leaving the rest to fight over him.
Although Morocco handled Canada with a big second half to save an otherwise cagey affair, Bouaddi did not exactly impress against an inferior midfield. And he was even worse against the powerhouse of France, getting totally turned around and picked apart by Michael Olise, while Adrien Rabiot bullied him on the ball with ease.
Ayyoub Bouaddi was exposed again
Ayyoub Bouaddi may have a ton of upside and is doing big things at the age of 18, but he is obviously nowhere near ready for Real Madrid. And as the superstars of France exposed, it is going to take Bouaddi several years before he can actually merit minutes as a club competing for Champions League titles like Man City, PSG, or Real Madrid.
He did not create anything, struggled to progress the ball, and was dreadful defensively against France. The back to back World Cup finalists made mince meat out of Bouaddi, who looked unconfident and fragile, with forward Michael Olise dominating the midfield battle against the Morocco No. 6.
With this peformance, Bouaddi guaranteed he will not be going to Real Madrid. Los Blancos were already fading him as an option and pretty much discarded him after the Canada game - or even before then, honestly - but this display against France is the final nail in the coffin that Bouaddi is going to need years of seasoning, preferably with Lille, before he is ready to be considered.
Again, take nothing away from Bouaddi as a player. He has so much potential and is already a starting caliber midfielder for a club like Lille. But for Real Madrid? There are levels to this game, and he is not there yet.
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