Brahim Diaz made his first public appearance since the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, playing in Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal on Saturday at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
The Moroccan international was the talk of the town after missing a penalty in the final minute of regulation time in the AFCON final against Senegal. His Panenka-style shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and Senegal went on to win the title in extra time.
Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa decided to start Diaz on the bench against Villarreal, before bringing him on in the 80th minute in an attempt to revive the player’s confidence.
Undoubtedly, the match was difficult for Diaz, not because of its inherent difficulty, but because of two specific incidents.
Before the match, Villarreal honored their star player, Pape Gueye, scorer of Senegal’s winning goal in the Africa Cup of Nations, at their home stadium in front of their fans, celebrating his team’s continental triumph. The camera focused on Diaz, who applauded respectfully for his opponent, while a look of sadness and pain was clearly etched on his face as he recalled the missed penalty that nearly secured Morocco’s first title in 50 years.
Perhaps Kylian Mbappé inadvertently added to Diaz’s pain when he won a penalty in the final minute of the match and, unusually, opted for a Panenka-style shot, which this time found the back of the net.
It was as if the French player deliberately reminded Diaz, even unintentionally, of the tragedy of the previous Sunday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
