Achraf Hakimi has been officially crowned the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year (African Ballon d’Or) at a glittering ceremony in Rabat, becoming the first Moroccan winner since Mustapha Hadji in 1998 and the first defender to claim the prestigious award in over 50 years.
The Paris Saint-Germain star, 27, beat fierce competition from Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen to the throne, capping an extraordinary 2024-25 season that saw him play a pivotal role in PSG’s historic quadruple: UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions.
Hakimi delivered career-best numbers for a full-back 11 goals, 16 assists in 55 appearances, scoring in the Champions League quarter-final, semi-final, and final (including the opener in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan). He also finished 6th in the 2025 France Football Ballon d’Or, the highest ever for an African defender.
Despite a recent ankle injury that forced him to hop on stage with a protective boot, Hakimi’s emotional speech lit up the night:“First of all, all glory belongs to God. This victory is for Morocco, for my family, for everyone who believed in me from the beginning. I’m proudly Moroccan. Long live the King, long live Morocco! We’re coming for the AFCON, we’ll give everything to bring the trophy home.
Hosted on Moroccan soil for the first time, the evening turned into a national celebration as Ghizlane Chebbak also won Women’s Player of the Year, while Morocco swept multiple youth and national team awards.Hakimi succeeds Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman (2024 winner) and ends a two-year Nigerian hold on the trophy.
With the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 kicking off in Morocco in just weeks, the Atlas Lions captain has sent a thunderous message: the hosts are ready to end their 49-year wait for continental glory. Vive le Maroc!