Hakimi received the award during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards ceremony, which was held in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, on Wednesday evening.
The Moroccan star beat his rivals, Egyptian Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star who won the award in 2017 and 2018, and Nigerian Victor Osimhen, the Galatasaray Turkish striker, who won it in 2023 when he was playing in Napoli, Italy.
Through his official Instagram account, Mbappé posted a picture of Hakimi holding the award, and attached the comment: “I love you brother, King of Africa, it is a more than deserved award.”
Hakimi and Mbappé had a strong friendship that lasted three years during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2024, before Kylian moved to Real Madrid in a free transfer.
Achraf Hakimi joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan in the summer of 2021 for 60 million euros, and he renewed his contract at the end of last season for an additional three years, to remain in the team’s ranks until 2029.
Before leaving Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé always praised Achraf Hakimi on many occasions, expressing his admiration for the brilliance of his friend and teammate with the Moroccan national team.
The two players met in a direct confrontation in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where France defeated Morocco 2-0, but the French team lost the title in the final match against Argentina on penalties after a 3-3 draw in regular and extra time.
The Moroccan national team also lost the opportunity to win the bronze medal after losing to Croatia in the match for third and fourth place. However, the Moroccans achieved a historic achievement by being the first Arab or African team to reach fourth place in the world since the first edition of the World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay.
On the other hand, Achraf Hakimi, the right-back of Paris Saint-Germain, reassured the fans about his readiness to participate in the African Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco.
Morocco will host the Nations Cup from December 21 to January 18, 2026 in six cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir.
The Moroccan national team will compete in the tournament in Group A, where they will face Comoros, Mali and Zambia on December 21, 26 and 29.
The 26-year-old Moroccan star is seeking to recover as soon as possible to participate in the African tournament, after suffering a severe injury to his left ankle as a result of a violent intervention by Colombian Luiz Diaz, the Bayern Munich star, in the Champions League.
The match ended with the Bavarian team winning 2-1 at the Parc des Princes, and Luis Diaz scored the two winning goals, before receiving a red card after his violent intervention on Hakimi.
Achraf Hakimi appeared affected by this injury during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards ceremony for the best this year, which was held in Rabat.
Hakimi went up to receive the award for the best African player while riding an electric “scooter”, as his left foot did not touch the ground.
Hakimi said after receiving the award: “I am very proud to win this award, and I thank all the officials in my country, the Football Association, the Moroccan national team, the Moroccan Football Association, my family, as well as the physical trainer who is currently helping me to recover from a serious injury.”
Achraf added: “This award is not only for me, but for all the children of Morocco and the African continent who dream of success in football.”
He added: “But more important than me winning the African Player of the Year award, which is an honorable and proud achievement, is the crowning of the Moroccan national team with the African Cup of Nations on our land.”
The Paris Saint-Germain star concluded: “Our appointment is in the African Cup of Nations, to win the title, and celebrate together.”
The Moroccan star won the African Player of the Year award after his brilliance in his team Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in five local and continental titles, namely the League, the French Cup, the French Super Cup, in addition to the European Super Cup and the Champions League for the first time in the history of the French club.
Hakimi also contributed to his team’s winning the silver medal in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, which is the first edition to be held with the participation of 32 teams, in addition to his qualification with his national team to the 2026 World Cup finals that will be held in the summer in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, which is the first edition to be held with the participation of 48 teams.
Paris Saint-Germain did not specify, in its statement regarding its injured stars, the duration of Achraf Hakimi’s absence, but initial indications indicate his absence for a period ranging between 6 and 8 weeks.
