OM's Amine Harit Turned to Kobe Bryant for Inspiration

Amine Harit has endured a challenging year mentally after suffering a severe knee injury. As a result, the 26-year-old looked to the late Kobe Bryant for guidance during a difficult moment in his career.

Harit had appeared in the 2018 FIFA World Cup for Morocco and was ready to participate in the 2022 edition in Qatar. However, on November 13, he sustained a serious knee injury, which ruled him out of the World Cup.

Without Harit, Morocco went on a run to the semifinals before falling to France. Still, his inability to be part of the national team that went on a Cinderella run, where they picked up wins over Spain and Portugal, likely affected him. Harit was outside of football at a difficult time and told L'Equipe that Bryant's book provided solace.

"I read it at a time when you wonder, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself: 'Am I going to get back to my best?' And then there's this person—rest his soul—who is an incredible source of inspiration."

"What I'm going through right now is nothing compared to what he went through, what his family went through. It's not just the sport. It's everything around it, like racism. His having died in this tragedy (a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020) gives his book even more meaning."

Harit first arrived at Olympique de Marseille in 2021, and after two loan stints with the Ligue 1 side, they made his stay permanent last year. After overcoming his injury, the attacking midfielder is now closing out 2023 on a positive note after scoring last Sunday in OM's 2-1 win over Clermont Foot. The Moroccan international has scored two goals and registered six assists in 23 appearances in all competitions.

???????? ???????????????????????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????????????????? ????

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) December 17, 2023