فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat – 19 November 2025
Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak, leader of the Atlas Lionesses, made history by winning the African Women’s Player of the Year 2025 award – also known as the African Women’s Ballon d’Or – during the CAF Awards 2025 ceremony held on Wednesday evening in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
The prestigious trophy was presented to her by CAF President Patrice Motsepe in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Chebbak becomes the first Moroccan woman ever to claim this title, symbolising the remarkable rise of women’s football in Morocco.
In an emotional speech after receiving the award, Chebbak declared: “Morocco will become the best in the world,” and sent a powerful message to young female players: “Believe in yourselves and work hard.”
In the final shortlist, Chebbak outperformed two outstanding African stars, including her national-team teammate:
- Sana Mssoudy, striker for AS FAR (Morocco) and the Moroccan national team
- Rasheedat Ajibade, Paris Saint-Germain and Nigeria Super Falcons captain
This triumph crowns an exceptional period (6 January to 15 October 2025) during which Chebbak, who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal, shone brightly both at club and international level. She played a pivotal role in Morocco’s historic third-place finish at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and delivered standout performances in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, scoring crucial goals and providing key assists, further establishing herself as an icon of African women’s football.
The gala, hosted at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, was dominated by Morocco, who claimed five major awards on the night, including Achraf Hakimi as Men’s Player of the Year and Yassine Bounou as Goalkeeper of the Year.
Some women’s categories – including Women’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, and Women’s Club of the Year – were postponed until after the conclusion of the ongoing 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League currently taking place in Egypt.
This latest honour adds to Chebbak’s glittering career, having already won the same award in 2022 and 2023, and underlines Morocco’s emergence as a leading force in continental women’s football, backed by major investment in infrastructure and youth development.
