The provincial capital of Soria in central Spain is known for its cold, tough weather. The name of the town’s football team, Numancia, is taken from an ancient nearby settlement that resisted Roman troops in a desperate last stand. The club’s main goalie this past season was Munir Mohand Mohamedi, a keeper who also doesn’t quit.

Born in the small Spanish enclave of Melilla on Morocco’s north coast, he’s now the starting goalie for Morocco’s national team at the World Cup in Russia. His blood, as he says, and his heritage from his parents and family, is Moroccan, so he readily accepted when Morocco asked him to join three years ago.

But he could well have his hands full at the World Cup, blocking shots. Morocco is in a tough Group with Spain, a past winner in 2010, and with Portugal, the current European champion. But Munir, as he’s simply called, says that playing against the best competition, like Portugal and Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, can only make you better as a player.

It’s Morocco’s first appearance in the World Cup in 20 years. Munir is 29 and says he wants to make the most of it. He notes that the African teams are generally improving their game across the board. Besides Morocco, it’s Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal and Tunisia in Russia now. But Munir says powerful contenders like Algeria and Cameroon didn’t make it. Nor did the Cote d'Ivoire, which Morocco eliminated in the qualifying rounds in order to gain a ticket to Russia. That much is clear.

What’s less clear, at least publicly, is Munir’s next stop after the World Cup. In an interview after we watched him train with Numancia – a second division Spanish club this past season – he confirmed that his contract is up with the team from Soria. But he wouldn’t say where his next stop would be. He insisted it’s not the right time because the focus should be, he says, on Morocco in the World Cup.