Munir El Haddadi plays for Esteghlal in Iran but has fled the country amid the recent US-Israeli attacks
Former Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi has managed to flee Iran in dramatic fashion to escape the bombs falling in the US-Israeli attack on the country where he now plays his football. With flights grounded, the Spain-born Morocco international faced a gruelling journey by road in the search for safety.
After helping his current side Esteghlal to a 2-1 win over Fajr Sepasi on Friday, Munir had been due to travel to Dubai with Iván Sánchez, the former Birmingham winger who now plays for Sepahan, on Saturday.
However, when they were already on the runway, they had to get off the plane as news hit that Iran was under attack and all its airspace shut down.
“Ten minutes later they made us get off the flight and told us we had to leave the plane because the airspace had been closed,” Sánchez said to Cadena Ser.
“We were on the runway ready to leave and they told us we had to get off. A friend sent me a message saying, ‘They’ve attacked, you’re not going to make it.’ You can’t imagine the traffic there was.
“We waited in a hotel across from the airport. Security arrived and prepared a van so we could leave together.”
An epic escape and story of survival
With the air route closed yet the need to leave the country ever more urgent, the pair were forced to travel by land in a bid to flee the dangers of war.
🚨 BREAKING: Ex Barça player Munir El Haddadi has safely left Iran and arrived in Spain, He travelled by road into Turkey following military air strikes
He even showed journalists footage he filmed himself from the road during the bombings. 😬
pic.twitter.com/1qhocxqT9h— Barca Xtra (@Barcaxtr) March 2, 2026
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Munir’s club provided a vehicle and they embarked on a day-long journey to Turkey before flying to Spain.
“We managed to leave at seven and drove for about 16 hours,” Munir told journalists at the airport.
“I played parchís with a teammate. I slept for an hour – you can’t relax, you can’t sleep, I was desperate. You’re constantly watching the cars.”
Munir showed journalists images he had taken on his phone from the car of bombs falling nearby and Sánchez confirmed this.
“We could see some missiles crashing in the sky with Iran’s defenses,” said Sánchez.
No internet and worried families
The toughest part, the pair said, however, was being disconnected from their families who were worrying about them. They went 12 hours with no internet access and no way of telling their loved ones in Spain what they were doing or if they were safe.
“For them, 12 hours without knowing anything given the situation was worse than what we went through,” they said.
Now reunited with their families in Spain and with the Persian Gulf Pro League suspended, the sporting future is unclear for both Munir and Sánchez, but for the time being at least, that may be the least of their worries as they count their blessings that they were able to escape the horrors of war.