Abdelmajid Dolmy

Abdelmajid Dolmy (عبد المجيد الظلمي; 20 August 1953 – 27 July 2017) was a Moroccan professional footballer who played as a libero then as a central midfielder for Raja CA and the Moroccan national team.

Nicknamed Maestro, he is widely considered one of the best players in the history of Moroccan and African football.

Abdelmajid Dolmy was born on 20 August 1953 in the popular district of Derb Fokara, in Derb Sultan, Casablanca.

He began playing football as a forward in “Terrain Chili”, in the Hermitage district.

He started playing football in Derb sultan and joined the Raja-Oasis Complex in 1969 aged 16.

In 1969, his performances left no one indifferent until the day when Mohamed Rahimi more known as Youaari, famous kit man of Raja Club Athletic and Petchou discovered his talent.

A few days later, Dolmy signed his first contract with Raja at the age of 16.

With the Atlas Lions, he made his debut with the U20 national team in 1971.

He was called up to the first team for the first time by Pál Orosz during the 1971–72 season for a Botola match against Raja Beni Mellal.

He made his professional debut the next season against Hassania Agadir, entering in the second half as a libero.

He made his starting debut against Maghreb Fès at the Stade Mohammed V.

Raja finished the season in third position.

His performances ensured him a starting place in Mohamed Tibari's team despite his young age, alongside great names such as Petchou, Houmane Jarir or Saïd Ghandi.

Two years later, he joined the first team where he made a few appearances before establishing himself as a key player in 1973.

In 1973, he was called up to the senior team for a friendly match against Senegal, but did not play.

He scored his first goal against Tihad Athletic Sport in the 1973–74 season which Raja finished in second position behind Raja Beni Mellal.

A few days later, FRMF declared Wydad the winner with a score of 1–0, thus ending an invincibility period maintained by Raja for 11 matches since 1973, a record.

He won the Throne Cup in 1974, 1977 and 1982, and came close to winning Botola many times.

On 28 July 1974 at Stade Mohammed V, the 1973–74 Throne Cup final was played between Raja who had beaten Wydad AC on penalties, and Maghreb de Fès who had previously eliminated Mouloudia Oujda.

Thanks to the goal of Mohamed El Arabi, Raja won the title.

Dolmy is thus part of this generation which lifted the first trophy of the club's history.

On 23 February 1975, he made his debut under Gheorghe Mărdărescu against Libya in the qualifiers for the 1976 Summer Olympics.

He played all games in the 1976 African Cup of Nations won by Morocco.

On 17 July 1977, Raja traveled to the FUS Stadium to play the 1976–77 Throne Cup final against Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi.

They won the title for the second time thanks to a penalty from Abdellatif Beggar.

In 1978, during the Casablanca Derby in the Père Jégo Stadium, Raja goalkeeper Najib Mokhles was sent off in the 83rd minute following a very controversial contact with Mustapha Chahid while the score showed a 1–1 draw.

Surprisingly, Dolmy volunteers to replace him.

One of the Wydad players tried to give him a red jersey, a gesture that M'hamed Fakhir saw as a humiliation.

Dolmy's teammates no longer wanted to continue the match, the latter was stopped and the penalty whistled was not shot.

In 1980–81, Raja finished third in the league, then fifth in 1981–82, however, the team did not come out empty-handed this season.

He also won the gold medal at the 1983 Mediterranean Games.

He played in three more AFCON and in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

At the 1986 World Cup, he was a key player of the first African team to finish top of a World Cup group and the first African team to reach the knockout stages, before being eliminated by West Germany after a last-minute goal.

He was one of the best Moroccan players of the tournament and was rated 9/10 by L'Équipe against England.

In 1987, Olympique de Casablanca signed him for a then Moroccan record transfer fee.

He retired from international football after the 1988 AFCON.

In 1990, he returned to Raja and retired the next year at the age of 38.

In 1992, UNESCO awarded him the Fair play prize, to reward a “player whose exemplary morality and courtesy make him unanimously considered by his partners or adversaries as a football ambassador”.

In 2006, Dolmy was selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as one of the best 200 African football players of the last 50 years.

In 2022, he's part of the IFFHS all-time Morocco Dream Team.