Ayoub El Kaabi Turns Acrobatic Goals into Morocco's AFCON Spotlight
22 December 2025
Ayoub El Kaabi's Acrobatic Goals Light Up AFCON Opener
El Kaabi says the most important thing is helping the national team.
Ayoub El Kaabi wrote his name again on Morocco’s scorers’ ledger at the Africa Cup of Nations, performing with his trademark acrobatic strike, a habit that has yielded 12 goals in his international tally, including three for the Moroccan national side.
He opened the match with a spectacular bicycle kick as Morocco beat Comoros 2-0 to open the tournament.
El Kaabi first displayed this goal-scoring flair at the 2018 Africa Nations Championship in Morocco, where he claimed the top scorer title with nine goals—the record for any player in the tournament.
He repeated the acrobatic strike last June in a Morocco-Benin friendly in Fez, coming on as a substitute and, after a Masina clearance, curling a kick into the net.
The pattern continued for his club, too, with Wydad and then Olympiakos, as he all too often fires goals in that same acrobatic style.
In a post-match interview, Kaabi said: "Honestly, I don’t care what the goal looks like or how pretty it is in this kind of competition or in front of our fans; what matters is that it helps the national team win and relieve the pressure. Still, I’m glad this acrobatic style has become part of my repertoire".
From club triumphs to national exploits, the striker keeps turning moments into memories that echo beyond the stands.
Punchline 1: If goals were gymnastic routines, Kaabi would win the all-around every time.
Punchline 2: The only thing sharper than his bicycle kicks is the referee’s whistle when the ball hits the net.
