Morocco's policy of persuading dual nationals like Achraf Hakimi (L) to play for them has paid rich dividends Credit: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP

For a while, dual-national footballers were a rarity in the Moroccan national team, but today they account for the majority of players across age groups and have become the Atlas Lions’ greatest strength.

Back when Morocco saw recruiting dual nationals as an occasional backup option, many foreign-born Moroccan players opted for their countries of birth instead.

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