Munir remains as shy and reserved as he was in the days when he used to play on a patch of rough ground in his home town of El Escorial, just north of Madrid. His family arrived there in the 1990s, his Moroccan father having travelled to Spain illegally in a boat and his Spanish mother having left her native Melilla in search of a better future.
The boy’s silky left foot was discovered by Antonio Gabaldon, the man who unearthed another Spanish goalscorer in Emilio Butragueno. Since then Munir’s parents have seen their wildest dreams fulfilled.
After starting out with a local side in nearby Galapagar and then playing for Santa Ana, Munir was snapped up by Rayo Majadahonda, a club affiliated to Atletico Madrid. Despite a tally of 32 goals in 29 appearances as a 14/15 year-old, Los Rojiblancos overlooked his talents, as did Real Madrid, who turned down the chance to bring him into their youth set-up.
