فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat – 19 November 2025
Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi, captain of the Moroccan national team and Paris Saint-Germain player, made history by winning the African Player of the Year 2025 award, also known as the African Ballon d’Or, during the most prestigious individual honour in African football.
The award was presented to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the CAF Awards 2025 ceremony held on Wednesday evening at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. The night was marked by strong Moroccan dominance, with Moroccan players and clubs claiming five awards in total.
This triumph comes after an exceptional 2024-2025 season in which Hakimi excelled both with Paris Saint-Germain and the Atlas Lions, recording 11 goals and 17 assists in 55 matches – extraordinary numbers for a right-back. Hakimi becomes the first defender to win the award in 52 years and the first Moroccan to claim it since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, finally breaking the so-called “Moroccan curse” on the prize.
In the final voting, Hakimi beat two major stars:
- Mohamed Salah, Liverpool and Egypt star
- Victor Osimhen, Napoli and Nigeria striker
Hakimi leads Paris Saint-Germain to historic quadruple
Hakimi was a cornerstone of PSG’s success this season, playing a key role in achieving a historic quadruple: Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, Trophée des Champions, and the 2025 UEFA Champions League – sealed with a stunning 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final, where he scored the opening goal. The team also won the UEFA Super Cup and reached the FIFA Club World Cup final (finishing runners-up to Chelsea).
Despite suffering a serious ankle injury during the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, Hakimi demonstrated remarkable resilience and professionalism to recover and return stronger.
On the international stage, Hakimi captained Morocco to a record-breaking run of victories, including winning the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and setting a new world record for the longest winning streak by any national team (16 consecutive victories). He was also named Best African Player in Ligue 1 (Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2025), receiving 364 points in the vote, ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Habib Diarra.
A historic legacy and inspiration for new generations
This title further establishes Hakimi as one of the greatest African players of his generation, especially after finishing 6th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or (ahead of Mohamed Salah in 4th place). It marks only the third time a Moroccan has won the award, after Mohamed Timoumi (1985 – corrected from the original) and Mustapha Hadji (1998), reflecting the ongoing rise of Moroccan football.
Before the ceremony, Hakimi had expressed that winning this award was a dream, stressing that it represents “the culmination of both individual and collective work”.
The CAF Awards 2025 gala, hosted by African icon Angélique Kidjo and Moroccan artist Aoualass, featured performances by Moroccan singer Douaa Lahyaoui, Congolese star Awilo Longomba, and Ghanaian DJ Fuse ODG.
Other Moroccan winners on the night included:
- Ghizlane Chebbak – Women’s Player of the Year
- Doha El Madani – Young Women’s Player of the Year
- Yassine Bounou – Goalkeeper of the Year
making Morocco the most awarded nation with 5 trophies.
