The former Black Stars No. 10 told MAP news agency that HM King Mohammed VI's far-sighted policy has been crucial to all the achievements of Moroccan sports, as illustrated by the unprecedented success of Moroccan athletes at the recent Francophonie Games in Kinshasa.

"The Sovereign's commitment and the resources made available to Moroccan youth are bearing fruit," emphasized Abedi Pelé, noting that Moroccan champions continue to raise the Kingdom's flag high in the four corners of the world and in almost every discipline.

Describing the Atlas Lions' Qatar epic as "extraordinary", he stressed that the "sporting leap" initiated by HM the King was the result of a carefully thought-out national strategy, of which the Mohammed VI Football Academy is the "finest incarnation".

Commenting on Morocco's 58 medals at the Francophonie Games, the Ghanaian said that this was by no means a surprise, but rather the happy outcome of efforts made over several years.

"The fact that Morocco's medal tally surpasses that of major sporting nations such as France is, in many respects, proof of the quality of the Kingdom's investment in top-level sport and its quest for excellence," concluded the man who gave Olympique de Marseille its one and only Champions League.