By Mohamed Fajah Barrie BBC Sport, Casablanca

Moroccan journalists are comparing Zairi to Maradona

Born in his homeland but raised in France, the fleet-footed striker received his break with the national team after showing consistent form for first division French side Sochaux.

He had made his French club debut for Guengon in 2000, the year in which he represented Morocco at the Olympic Games in Sydney.

It took another year before he joined Sochaux.

In February, Zairi made his debut for the Atlas Lions in a friendly against Senegal and has become a regular fixture in the side.

Quick and skilful, Zairi has arguably been Morocco's best attacking player of late.

His prodigious dribbling ability has contributed to the Atlas Lions' good form in Nations Cup qualifiers.

Zairi is wonderful on the ball, fast and dangerous - a promising star Inter Milan striker Mohamed Kallon

In March, the young striker gave Sierra Leone's defence real problems in Freetown and almost grabbed the winner in the 0-0 draw.

He dribbled past three defenders before shooting over the crossbar.

Another fine display in the 1-0 home win against the Leone Stars left a clear impression on his opposite number Mohamed Kallon.

"Zairi is wonderful when he is on the ball," the Inter Milan striker told BBC Sport.

"He is fast and dangerous, and I think he is a promising star."

Some of that promise came to fruition in the home qualifier against Gabon on 20 June, when Zairi registered his first goal for the Atlas Lions.

His speed and dribbling ability were in evidence, as he got past three Gabonese defenders before firing home a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Zairi is a good dribbler

That strike sealed Morocco's 2-0 victory.

When Zairi was substituted afterwards, fans audibly voiced their dissatisfaction at seeing the Atlas Lions' most effective player leave the pitch.

Although he has never played for a Moroccan club side and only has four caps, the France-based striker is one of the most popular players in the national side.

"Jawad Zairi is a star we've discovered and I believe he will play football at the highest level," says Morocco FA secretary general Mohamed Moufid.

"He is a very swift forward and we hope to benefit a lot from him."

Given Zairi's talent, some local journalists are already calling the youngster Morocco's answer to Diego Maradona.

They expect him to reach the heights of Moroccan legends like Ahmed Faras, Aziz Bouderbala, and Mohamed Timouni, which is a tall order indeed.