Nayef Aguerd selects ten questions at random from our list of 100, giving us an insight into our Morocco international defender…
What is your preferred way to get around London - car, train or bike?
"To be honest, I don’t actually go out a lot. When I go to the training ground then I will drive myself in my car. If I am going into London or heading out, then sometimes I will take a taxi and sometimes I will get the train. It’s been interesting trying to navigate the Underground, but it’s usually quicker to take the train in London than it is to drive anywhere!"
When did your football journey start?
"I started in football very young. I went from the [Mohammed VI Football] Academy [in Salé] at eleven years old, so I was young, and then straight into being a professional football [with FUS Rabat] at 17 years old. I’ve always been around football and involved in it, and I feel very blessed for that."
What is your favourite animal?
"An easy one! It’s dogs. I love dogs. I sadly don’t have one at the moment because, with football, you’re always away from home and potentially on the move, and I don’t think that’s fair on the dog. If you’re on an away trip, or with the national team, then you can’t look after it properly. But I do absolutely love dogs. We had a dog when I was growing up and when my career is over I will for sure have two or three dogs in my home."
What is one item you cannot live without?
"It would be my PlayStation 5. For sure I could not live without my PlayStation! I play it a lot. It helps me to relax and chill out when I’m not training. I play a lot of Call Of Duty, and I sometimes play with a few of the other guys in the team too. Maybe when I’m older I won’t have the time though!"
Who is the most difficult opponent you have faced?
"Can I choose two? Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. You need a good night's sleep before that game to have any chance of catching those two! They are unbelievable. That Paris Saint-Germain team, when I played in France, was a nightmare to defend against. They had Neymar too and it was tough to say the least!"
Do you have a secret talent?
"Actually, I am a very good swimmer! I really like being in the water and I’ve always been a good swimmer."
Tell us about the time you were most scared as a child…
"Honestly, the answer to this would be when I thought I wouldn’t be a professional football player. That was a moment I was really scared. Every year in the Academy we would get told whether we were being kept on or if we were being let go, and that time of year was always really scary. I had made so many sacrifices to try and make it as a footballer so I always found that scary. When I was 15 years old, I was truly worried about it. I hadn’t had a good year and there was a moment when the Academy wanted me to go home. But they kept me in the end and I’m so glad they did."
