It should have been the summer of Amine Harit's dreams.
The Moroccan midfielder had just enjoyed a barnstorming debut season in the Bundesliga with Schalke and had played for his country at the World Cup.
But around 10pm on the evening of June 29, 2018, his life took a shuddering turn for the worse.
He was in Marrakesh, driving along with his 14-year-old brother in the passenger seat following a meal out, 'not unusually fast but probably 10 to 15 km/h above the speed limit.'
Suddenly he struck a pedestrian who'd stepped out into the road. The pedestrian, a 30-year-old man, died shortly afterwards.
'The shock!,' Harit later recalled to French newspaper L'Equipe. 'I stopped 100 to 150 metres from the accident because I could hardly realise it.
'I waited for the police, I was in shock. It was the worst moment of my life.'
As Harit was taken into custody and had his passport confiscated, every aspect of his life and football career was up in the air. Would he be allowed back to Germany? Would he even be a free man?
In the end, Harit was sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence and a fine of 8,600 dirhams (equivalent to £700). There was an out-of-court cash settlement with the victim's family.
His passport was returned a week after the crash so he could return for pre-season training with Schalke.
But the shock of the accident and guilt at causing the death weighed heavily on the 21-year-old.
Having been named the 'Bundesliga Rookie of the Year' in 2017-18, the following season was something of a disaster.
Harit suffered with injury problems, disciplinary issues and inconsistent form, at one stage being withdrawn completely from the Schalke first-team squad.
There were also reports Harit asked a Duisburg casino where he'd been spending too many late nights to ban him for his own good.
skbvb
0
great player come back strong