Achraf Hakimi has been crowned African Player of the Year after delivering what many are already calling one of the greatest individual seasons ever produced by a defender.
The Paris Saint-Germain right-back swept all before him in 2024/25, playing a central role as PSG clinched a historic haul of trophies: the Champions League, Ligue 1, the French Cup, and the Trophée des Champions.
Far from being a mere defensive presence, Hakimi was decisive at every stage of the campaign. He scored in the Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, underlining his reputation as one of the most attacking full-backs in world football. By season’s end, he had amassed 11 goals and 17 assists in 55 matches, numbers that would be extraordinary for a forward, let alone a defender.
His form propelled him into the conversation for the Ballon d’Or, where he ultimately finished sixth, an exceptional achievement for a player in his position.
Hakimi’s coronation as Africa’s best comes just a year after he narrowly missed out on the same award, a disappointment he openly admitted had fuelled his determination.
“Last year hurt, but it also motivated me,” he had said at the start of the season. That promise to “come back stronger” has now been emphatically fulfilled.
In Rabat, where the awards ceremony was held, Hakimi arrived nursing an ankle injury but still made the trip to share the moment with home fans and the wider continent. Limping slightly but smiling broadly, he lifted the trophy to huge applause, symbolically stepping into a pantheon that includes Mohamed Salah, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Sadio Mané.
For Morocco and for African football, Hakimi’s recognition is seen as a triumph not only of an outstanding season, but of a new generation of players redefining what is possible from traditionally “defensive” roles.
With a Champions League medal, a domestic clean sweep, world-class statistics and now Africa’s top individual honour, Hakimi’s season will be remembered as one of the defining campaigns of the modern era.
