"I want to bring joy to Morocco" – Amine Harit, Schalke 04, in his ultimate dream of football

Schalke 04 midfielder Amine Harit revealed that her dream was to bring joy to Morocco with her talent.

Harit, born in France to Moroccan parents, represented the European country at different levels of youth before choosing to play for the Atlas Lions in September 2017.

A month later, the 21-year-old made his debut in the North African nation as a 90th-minute substitute against Gabon and became a regular player on Hervé Renard's team.

He played a role in Morocco's return to the World Cup after an absence of 20 years and was part of the traveling team in Russia where he made only one appearance against the world. 39; Iran.

Despite his ties with France – the country in which he began his professional career – the former midfielder from Nantes feels "indebted" to Moroccans.

"I love France, it gave me everything in my life, but Morocco … Moroccans are also my people, I feel this connection to the country that I can not fully explain," wrote Harit in Player Tribune.

"France has given me so much, but my family is everything to me. And they are Moroccan. My grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins ​​- many still live in Morocco. So when I had to choose who I wanted to play for, I felt indebted to those people.

"Do you remember how I said I had a street mentality? It takes a lot to get me excited. But when I played for the national team last summer and beat Cote d'Ivoire 2-0 to qualify for the World Cup … I cried. I really did a lot. Tears of joy.

"And when we got back to Morocco, the support we had on arrival was really amazing. I have never seen anything like it in my life. I still want it. I want it a million times.

"I want to bring joy to Morocco. All I do is for my family. And if you come from Morocco, you are my family.

The article continues below

"Now you know a little about me – Amine. I hope so that you remember some of these things. Because I'm only 21 years old. There is still a lot to come. Believe it. And remember that too.

Harit played little for Schalke 04 this season and was replaced in the 88th minute in the 3-2 loss to Manchester City on Wednesday.

He hopes to make his 15th appearance in the Bundesliga this season when Schalke 04 will visit Mainz 05 on Saturday.