Ilies Belmokhtar is a 17-year-old Moroccan winger who scored three goals and added an assist in six matches. In addition, he captained each of Morocco’s final four matches. He plays his club football for AS Monaco’s academy.
Belmokhtar has a lean frame and stands around 1.75 m. He must improve his physical strength, being overpowered by larger defenders in shoulder-to-shoulder challenges. On the contrary, he has explosive, borderline elite pace. Though quite dynamic with his athleticism on the attack, his pressing intensity could use some work, being passive at times, only occasionally using his elite quickness to close out.
Belmokhtar’s off ball movement/positioning stood out most frequently on the attack. He consistently found space getting in behind his marker’s shoulder, looking to get to the back post supporting counters. He was an expert at timing his runs for the age group, primarily ending his overlaps by sharply cutting inside from wide to put himself through. Whether receiving short out wide or being played in behind, the shiftiness on the dribble was always there for Belmokhtar. His first touch was consistently soft, then he manipulated space well with both feet, though he is clearly left foot dominant. The combination of technique on ball and explosiveness made him quite effective going into 1v1s, putting lots of flair on his dribbles with hesitations and quick changes of directions. At times he lacked decisiveness when taking on his marker, overdribbling and/or getting tackled to lose possession in isolation. If he irons out his 1v1 consistency, Belmokhtar could become a dynamic dribbler from the right at senior level.
As a playmaker, he showed much composure linking play in his own half, even with pressure, to then deliver ground passes or get ambitious with a switch of play. An important relationship he developed throughout the tournament was with Abdellah Ouazane in midfield, each unlocking space in behind for one another or targeting each other when switching play. His crossing accuracy was inconsistent, despite finding opportunistic places to create, as he tried driving those crosses in most times leading to easy clearances and interceptions. Overall, Belmokhtar displayed solid vision, helping him to pre-assists and incisive final third distribution. Additionally, he was a composed progressive carrier despite going forward with immense pace. The maturity to stay composed and controlled with that much pace going forward is an important quality in transitioning early to the senior game. In terms of finishing, he scored a header at the back post with precision to beat the keeper and finished a counterattack with a composed ground strike into the far post after cutting inside on his run then dribble. The latter was a more consistent finishing option for him, putting in driven shots toward the posts with some volume. The header was a solid finish but an uncontested aerial that mostly displayed his explosiveness as he leapt high to meet the delivery. Belmokhtar also won a penalty with intentional, aggressive dribbling cutting into the box, showcasing how direct and creative he can be from the wing.
Belmokhtar is an electric wide attacker that astonishes with his dynamism and explosion cutting inside from the wing to create both for himself and others. With time to add weight and muscle to his frame, he has a bright future ahead of him as he continues to become more decisive on ball. The technical ability and ball-striking at his age is the cherry on top for one of Morocco’s young leaders. Monaco should begin integrating him into the first team based on the potential shown in this competition.
Target Scouting 