French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) footballer Achraf Hakimi has been named African Footballer of the Year, becoming the first defender to claim the prize in 52 years.
Moroccan right back Hakimi finished ahead of Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen in Wednesday’s vote at the 2025 CAF Awards in the Moroccan city of Rabat, Al Jazeera reports.
Hakimi was awarded the trophy after helping PSG to their first ever Champions League title in May when they bulldozed Italy’s Inter Milan 5-0 in the final as part of a historic treble-winning season in which they also won the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
In August, PSG also beat English side Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup to pick up their fourth trophy in the 2025 calendar year.
Hakimi – the first Moroccan to win the award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998 and the first defender since Bwanga Tshimen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then Zaire, in 1973 – said it was “really a proud moment”.
“This trophy is not just for me but all the strong men and women who have dreams of being a footballer in Africa,” he said.
“And for those that always believed in me since I was a child, that I would be a professional footballer one day, I would like to thank them all,” he added.
bd-pratidin/GR
