Imran Louza: Morocco midfielder on growing up poor and choosing between national teams
The French-born Watford midfielder suffered a serious injury in October ruling him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but has the next big tournament in mind.
Football
Imran Louza would have been a near-certain call up for Morocco's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad.
The Watford midfielder had scored twice in five games in England's second tier league - the Championship - this season before suffering a fractured fibula and ligament damage.
Louza's childhood dream of playing in a World Cup, shared on the Olympic Channel's new original series World at their Feet profiling 11 men's footballers, would have to wait.
But after a tough upbringing in France, this setback is just a small hiccup on Louza's road to the top – and he already has his next big tournaments in mind.
The 23-year-old represented his country in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament and should make the 2023 team. "I was lucky enough to wear the Moroccan shirt at the AFCON," he says in the series. "It was an important moment for me."
He also hopes to be one of Morocco's three over-age players if the nation qualifies for Paris 2024.
"It's important for the country that the Olympic Games are taking place in Paris. I'd love to participate in the Olympic Games."
Imran Louza's national team choice
Louza was born in 1999 in Nantes, France, to a French mother and Moroccan father, and is extremely close to his mother.
"I had quite a difficult childhood. I won't lie, it was hard," he admits in the episode.
"Growing up in a poor neighbourhood instills other types of important values. You can take a different path when you grow up that way but thanks to my mother, I avoided all of that."
Despite his mother's influence – and having come through the youth academy of his local club FC Nantes, who he also supports – deciding which national team to play for was not straightforward.
"The thing is, when you're part of a French club, you're always told the French national team should be your goal," Louza explains.
"I believed this when I was young but over time, I realised this wasn't what I wanted."
Discover more in the episode of World at their Feet featuring Imran Louza of Watford and Morocco now.