“The defender of the Moroccan national team and former partner of Mbappe at PSG was named the best player in Africa in 2025.”, — write: football.ua
The defender of the Moroccan national team and former partner of Mbappe at PSG was named the best player in Africa in 2025.
Kylian Mbappe Ashraf Hakimi Getty Images November 20, 2025, 5:23 p.m
The individual accolade culminated his stunning season, which saw him ahead of world football stars Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen. Hakimi became only the fifth Moroccan player to receive this prestigious trophy.
His success is the result of consistent and brilliant performances: in the 2024/2025 season, playing for Paris Saint-Germain, he won the Champions League, the Ligue 1 title and the French Cup.
The ceremony caused an emotional response from Hakimi’s close friend and former partner at PSG, Kylian Mbappe. Immediately after the results were announced, the forward posted a message on Instagram that quickly went viral:
“I love you my brother. The king of Africa. Well done my brother, this is a more than deserved award,” Mbappe wrote, adding a Moroccan flag emoji on his social media.
After receiving the award, Hakimi said that he was dedicating it to the entire continent:
“It is a great honor for me to be here today and I am proud to have won such a prestigious trophy. This award is not only for me, it is for all the strong men and women who have dreams in Africa and those who dream of becoming footballers,” said the Moroccan.