Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi Mouh (born 4 November 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Morocco national team. Known for his attacking prowess and strong defensive contribution, he is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world, and is the African player with the most European titles.

At club level, Hakimi began playing for Real Madrid Castilla in 2016 and was promoted to the first team in 2017, where he won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. He was sent on a two-year loan deal to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, winning the DFL-Supercup in 2019. He then signed with Serie A side Inter Milan, helping the club win the 2020–21 Serie A title, their first league title in 11 years. Paris Saint-Germain then signed him in 2021 for a reported fee of €68 million. With PSG, he won five Ligue 1 titles and two Coupes de France, and was integral to the club winning their first UEFA Champions League titles back-to-back in 2025 and 2026, with the former being part of a continental treble.

Born in Spain, Hakimi was capped by Morocco at the under-20 level, before making his senior international debut in 2016 at 17 years old. He was chosen in Morocco's squads for three FIFA World Cups (in 2018, 2022, and 2026), four Africa Cup of Nations (in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025), and was one of three overage players selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics team. At the 2022 World Cup, he and Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals. He later won with the team its second Africa Cup of Nations title in 2025.

Hakimi ranked 6th in the 2025 Ballon d'Or, the highest position ever achieved by a Moroccan player. He was also named the 2025 African Player of the Year, becoming the fifth Moroccan recipient of the award and the first since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.

Hakimi was born on 4 November 1998, in Madrid, Spain, to Moroccan parents of Arab descent. His father Mohamed, from Oued Zem, was a street vendor, and his mother Saida, from Ksar el-Kebir, worked as a housewife. Hakimi grew up in Getafe belonging to the Community of Madrid, where his family faced economic challenges. At the age of 8, Hakimi joined CD Colonia Ofigevi, a local football club, where he began his football journey. His talent was quickly noticed, and in 2006, he joined Real Madrid's youth academy. He spent several years developing his skills in the academy, initially playing as a winger before transitioning to his more familiar role as a right-back. Hakimi has stated that although he was raised in Spain, he grew up in a household shaped by Arab and Muslim culture, which later influenced his decision to represent Morocco at international level.

Hakimi made his debut for Real Madrid in the first match of the 2016 International Champions Cup, a 3–1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain. He subsequently returned to the B team, making his senior debut on 20 August 2016 by starting in a 3–2 Segunda División B home win against Real Sociedad B.

Hakimi scored his first senior goal on 25 September 2016, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 draw at Fuenlabrada.

On 19 August 2017, Hakimi was promoted to the main squad as a backup to Dani Carvajal and Nacho, and was assigned the number 19 jersey. He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 1 October, starting in a 2–0 home win over Espanyol. He scored his first La Liga goal on 9 December 2017 in a 5–0 win against Sevilla. On 12 May 2018, he scored his second goal against Celta Vigo in a 6–0 win. In the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, he made two appearances under the age of 18 as Madrid won the title, their third consecutive and 13th overall. He thus became the first Moroccan to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the third Moroccan player to reach the final, after Redouane Hajry and Mehdi Benatia.

On 11 July 2018, Hakimi signed for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund on a two-year loan deal. He scored his first goal for the club in a 7–0 victory over 1. FC Nürnberg on 27 September. He provided three assists in a single match for the first time in his career against Atlético Madrid, in his first Champions League appearance for Dortmund. Hakimi scored a brace against Slavia Prague in the group stage of the Champions League on 2 October 2019, his first goals in the competition. On 5 November 2019, Hakimi scored another brace in the second half to turn a 0–2 deficit against Inter Milan to a 3–2 win at the Westfalenstadion.

In February 2020, Hakimi set a Bundesliga speed record when he was clocked at 36.48 km/h (22.67 mph) in a match against the Union Berlin, beating the old league record which he had set against RB Leipzig three months prior at 36.2 km/h (22.5 mph). On 31 May, after scoring in the club's 6–1 away win over SC Paderborn, he removed his shirt to reveal a shirt with the message "Justice for George Floyd". His teammate, Jadon Sancho, revealed a similar shirt after scoring as well.

On 2 July 2020, Hakimi signed for Serie A club Inter Milan on a five-year contract, with a reported fee of around €40 million. He made his debut on 26 September and provided an assist in a 4–3 win against Fiorentina in the Serie A. He scored his first goal for the club in the subsequent league game against Benevento, which Inter won 5–2.

Hakimi signed for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on 6 July 2021 on a five-year contract. The transfer fee paid by PSG was reported by The Guardian to be an initial €60 million, potentially rising by €11 million in add-ons. Hakimi made his Ligue 1 debut on 7 August, playing the entire ninety minutes and scoring his first goal for the club against Troyes. He received his first red card in a 0–0 draw against Marseille on 24 August. On 22 September, Hakimi scored twice in a 2–1 victory against Metz. In his first season at PSG, he won a Ligue 1 title, his second league title in a row.

On 14 February 2023, Hakimi was nominated for the 2022 FIFA FIFPRO World 11. On 19 September 2023, Hakimi scored a goal in a 2–0 victory against his former club Dortmund in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League, thus earning a spot on the UEFA's Team of Week. In October 2023, together with PSG players Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé and Layvin Kurzawa, Hakimi was handed a one-match suspension for participating in offensive chants following a victory against rivals Marseille. On 1 November 2023, Hakimi was nominated for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year by CAF. On 24 October 2024, Hakimi along with his international teammate Soufiane Rahimi, were nominated for the 2024 African Footballer of the Year award.

On 8 February 2025, Hakimi extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2029. On 7 May 2025, Hakimi scored PSG's second goal in a 2–1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, securing their place in the final for the second time in the competition's history. On 24 May, he netted a goal in a 3–0 win over Reims in the Coupe de France final. On 31 May, he opened the scoring in the Champions League final, contributing to a dominant 5–0 victory over his former club Inter Milan, becoming PSG’s first Champions League final goalscorer. He became the second Moroccan to play a European Cup/Champions League final (after Hajry Redouane in 1988 with Benfica), the first Moroccan (and seventh African) to score in a European Cup/Champions League final, and the second Moroccan ever (after Ayoub El Kaabi in the 2024 Europa Conference League final) to score in an UEFA club competition final. Hakimi's performances across the season led to him emerging as a contender for the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

In the 2025–26 season, Hakimi won both the Ligue 1 title and the UEFA Champions League after a penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in the final. The latter marked his third Champions League title, equaling Samuel Eto'o's record for the most titles won by an African player. It was also the 19th major trophy of his career, surpassing the totals of both Eto'o and Yaya Touré to become the most decorated African footballer in history.

After representing Morocco at under-17 and under-20 levels, Hakimi made his debut for the under-23s on 5 June 2016, in a 1–0 friendly win over Cameroon U23s. He made his full international debut on 11 October 2016, coming on as a substitute for Fouad Chafik in a 4–0 win against Canada. He scored his first international goal on 1 September 2017, netting the fourth in a 6–0 home routing of Mali.

In May 2018, he was named in Morocco's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and on 4 June he was named in the final 23-man squad for the tournament.

Hakimi was also called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. He started all of his matches in the group stages. He scored from a free kick in a 2–2 draw against Gabon. He started in the round of 16 against Malawi, scoring a free kick in the 70th minute to earn his team a 2–1 victory.

On 10 November 2022, Hakimi was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored the winning penalty with a panenka style shot in a shoot-out against Spain (his birth country) in the round of 16, securing a place for his country in the quarter-finals and ultimately paving the way for his team to reach the semi-finals of the competition as the first African nation to do so in history. Morocco was also the first Arab country to reach the semi-finals, and the second Muslim one after Turkey in 2002.

On 28 December 2023, Hakimi was amongst the 27 players selected by coach Walid Regragui to represent Morocco in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. He scored a goal in a 1–1 group stage draw against DR Congo. In the round of 16, he missed a penalty in a 2–0 loss to South Africa.

Upon signing for Borussia Dortmund, Hakimi was described as a right-sided attacking full-back or wing-back who had previously trained as a winger and could also play as a defender. His playing style included speed, physical strength, tactical awareness, technical ability, and the capacity to play long passes from defense. Some sources have referred to him as one of the best right-backs in the world.

Hakimi was married to Spanish actress of Tunisian descent Hiba Abouk from 2020 until 2023. The couple have two sons, born in 2020 and 2022. On 27 March 2023, Abouk released a statement on her Instagram account confirming that the couple had previously separated, and that they were awaiting divorce proceedings. It was reported that Abouk requested more than half of Hakimi's assets and fortune, although the assets are allegedly held in his mother's name. The claim was later disproven as fake news.

Following Hakimi's performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a football stadium in Ksar el-Kebir was named after him. He was named Arab Sportsman of the Year for 2022 at the Joy Awards in Riyadh.

Ligue 1: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26

African Youth Player of the Year: 2018, 2019

Lion d'Or African Footballer of the Year: 2024, 2025

Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: September 2018, November 2018, December 2019

Globe Soccer Awards Best Young Arab Player of the Year: 2019