The sudden deterioration of the security situation in the Middle East caught many foreign nationals, including professional athletes, off guard. This was the case for Munir El Haddadi, former FC Barcelona striker, who recently signed with Esteghlal FC. The player endured particularly harrowing hours before being able to leave Iran, as the country was targeted by American and Israeli airstrikes.

According to the Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo, the former Moroccan international — who notably played for Valencia, Getafe and Seville — found himself stranded after his flight was cancelled, a direct consequence of the bombings and the partial closure of the airspace.

Faced with this impasse, Munir El Haddadi was forced to take a much longer and more perilous route. The 30-year-old striker thus traveled for nearly 16 hours by car to reach the border with Turkey, the only remaining point of exit accessible for leaving Iranian territory safely.

Once he arrived safe and sound, the player wanted to give an update via social media, in order to reassure his family and supporters.

“I thank everyone for their messages and their concern about my situation in Iran. We were supposed to leave the country by plane yesterday, but that was ultimately not possible. We were evacuated by road,” he said.

Munir El Haddadi also expressed his gratitude for the support of his club, which provided him with a vehicle to facilitate his long journey to the border. Now out of danger, the former Barcelona player can more calmly look forward to a return to Spain soon, after having gone through one of the most trying periods of his professional career.