King Mohammed VI of Morocco led the tributes on Monday after the country's under-20 side beat Argentina 2-0 to lift the World Cup for the first time.
Yassir Zabiri scored both goals in the victory over the six-time champions at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago.
The 20-year-old opened his account in the 12th minute curling in a sumptuous free-kick into the top right hand corner of Santino Barbi's goal.
And 17 minutes later, he clinically bagged his brace.
Othamane Maamma weaved his way into the right hand side of the Argentina penalty area and dinked over a cross inviting the flourish.
Zabiri, who plays for the Portuguese top flight side Famalicão, duly obliged to the delight of the Moroccans in the 43,000 crowd in the Chilean capital.
The king had "followed the heroic journey of the Atlas Lions with immense joy and deep pride", the official Moroccan news agency MAP reported on Monday.
He had sent the team members "his warm congratulations for this new global achievement, the first of its kind in the history of Moroccan football", it added.
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Morocco's victory over the six-time champions allowed Morocco to emulate Ghana as the only sides from Africa to brandish the under-20 World Cup crown since the inception of the tournament in 1977.
The North Africans, trying to match Ghana's exploits in 2009, went into the final against a backdrop of Generation Z-led protests in their country over issues including government spending on sporting events at the expense of public services.
As well as pushing for reforms on education, healthcare, demonstrators want authorities to tackle corruption and a cost of living crisis.
They have also hit out at the estimated €2 billion cost of revamping stadiums for December's Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco is co-hosting with Spain and Portugal.
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Six months ago, Morocco finished runners-up to South Africa at the under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
But while the South Africans fell in the last-16 to Colombia, Morocco saw off South Korea 2-1 in the last-16 and beat the United States 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
A penalty shoot-out victory over France last Wednesday in the semis took them into the final.
Zabiri also took home the Silver Ball as the competition’s second-best player after teammate Maamane who was deemed the best player of the tournament.
Twenty years ago in the Netherlands, Lionel Messi won the same accolade as he inspired Argentina to a fifth title at the tournament.
The 37-year-old, who skippered Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, sent a message on social media congratulating his heirs on their progress to the final.
On Monday, he was among the first to commiserate. "Keep your heads up, boys!," said the Inter Miami sar.
"You had an amazing tournament, and even though we all wanted to see you lift the trophy, we’re left with the joy of everything you gave us and the pride of seeing how you defended the sky blue and white [shirt] with your hearts."
