Morrocco and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has been crowned 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year at an awards gala in Rabat, Morocco.
The 27 year old beat Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhe to Africa’s most prestigious individual honour, becoming the first defender in 52 years to win the award since Zaire’s Bwanga Tshimen in 1973.
The Morocco captain enjoyed a trophy-laden 2025 with PSG, where he played a key role in a historic campaign that delivered the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France, as well as a run to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Hakimi also helped the Atlas Lions qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and maintain their status as one of Africa’s top sides, extending the momentum built since their historic 2022 World Cup semi-final run.
Receiving the award, Hakimi described the moment as a victory for African dreamers: the trophy, he said, was not only for him but for “all the strong men and women who have dreams of being a footballer in Africa” and those who believed in his journey from childhood.
The triumph makes Hakimi the first Moroccan men’s winner of the CAF Player of the Year award since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
Underlining a dominant night for Moroccan football at the 2025 CAF Awards, Ghizlane Chebbak also emerged as the CAF female footballer of the year while Chiamaka Nnadozie secured the female goalkeeper of the year for the third consecutive time.