Achraf Hakimi: “African Player of the Year is not the most important award”

Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco right-back Achraf Hakimi has reacted after being crowned African Player of the Year, marking the first time a Moroccan has claimed the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998 — 27 years ago. Hakimi had finished as runner-up in each of the previous two editions of the CAF Awards.

Despite the personal achievement, Hakimi emphasized that winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco next month is more important to him than this individual honor.

Following his coronation, Hakimi said:
“This award is not for me alone, but for every child in Morocco who dreams of reaching this level.”

He continued:
“To the young kids who meet me and ask whether they can reach this level one day, I say yes — just believe in yourselves.”

The PSG defender added:
“I dedicate this award to His Majesty the King for his support of sports in Morocco. I also congratulate Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG, who believed in me and signed me five years ago, as well as the coaching staff and all my teammates.”

Hakimi concluded:
“I thank Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Moroccan Federation, but this award is not the most important one. The most important prize is for Morocco to win the Africa Cup of Nations.”

Hakimi beat Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen to claim the 2025 African Player of the Year title.

The Moroccan star recently suffered a serious ankle injury with PSG, ruling him out of the November international camp.

Morocco will host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

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