Achraf Hakimi Crowned 2025 CAF Player of the Year, Ends Two-Year Wait for Africa’s Biggest Football Prize
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi has been named the 2025 CAF Player of the Year, capping a spectacular season that saw him rise above some of Africa’s biggest football stars.
The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender clinched the award ahead of Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, two strong contenders who have dominated African football conversations in recent years.
Hakimi succeeds Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, taking over as the new king of African football.
This victory is particularly emotional for Hakimi, who finished second for two consecutive years — painfully close, but not quite there.
Now, the moment he has chased has finally arrived.
His 2023/2024 season with Paris Saint-Germain was nothing short of historic.
Hakimi played a key role as PSG won the Ligue 1 title, the French Cup, and remarkably, their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy — a milestone that cemented the club’s place in global football history.
Despite currently nursing an injury, Hakimi still made the effort to attend the awards gala, arriving with his foot heavily strapped — a powerful image of commitment, pride, and respect for African football.
Meanwhile, back home in Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has again reassured parents of the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction that the government is working tirelessly to ensure their safe return.
Hakimi's triumph, though from a different sphere, provides a brief but uplifting moment for many Africans facing difficult days.
Opinion: Hakimi’s Win Is More Than a Trophy — It’s a Shift in African Football’s Identity
Hakimi’s victory is a beautiful reminder that defenders, too, can define eras.
For far too long, African football awards have been dominated by forwards — the goal scorers, the headline makers. But Hakimi is changing that narrative.
His win sends a strong message:
African excellence is not limited to the attack; brilliance also thrives in discipline, intelligence, and defensive artistry.
Hakimi embodies modern African football — fast, fearless, and global.
He represents a generation of players who are not only competing at the highest level but shaping football’s future.
What makes his story even more inspiring is his consistency. Many players shine for one season, then fade. Hakimi has remained elite, year after year, turning setbacks — including his recent injury — into fuel for greater achievements.
In many ways, his rise mirrors the growth of African football on the world stage: determined, evolving, and impossible to ignore.
As he celebrates this long-awaited crown, one thing is clear:
Achraf Hakimi is no longer just one of Africa’s best — he is the standard.
