Paris St Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi claimed the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, ending a 52-year wait for a defender to take the title, at the ceremony in the Moroccan capital Rabat on Wednesday.
Hakimi beat Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen to become the first defender to win since former TP Mazembe and Zaire centre-back Bwanga Tshimen in 1973.
He is also the first Moroccan to claim Africa’s top player prize since midfielder Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
Hakimi completed a superb 2025 in which he won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, French Ligue 1, Coupe de France and reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
He also played a starring role as Morocco qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he will be among the headline names.
"It is really a proud moment for me to win this prestigious award," Hakimi said. "This trophy is not just for me, but all the strong men and women who have dreams of being a footballer in Africa.
"And for those that always believed in me since I was a child, that I would be a professional footballer one day. I would like to thank them all."
Born in Madrid, the 27-year-old is arguably the leading right-back in world football, having already featured for Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan before joining PSG in 2021.
Hakimi’s compatriot Ghizlane Chebbak won the CAF Women’s Player of the Year prize after finishing as top scorer at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in July with five goals.
She could not help Morocco lift the trophy, as they lost to Nigeria in the final, but her performances earned her a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. She is the first Moroccan to win the women’s award.
The North African nation claimed several other honours, including Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year for Al-Hilal’s Yassine Bounou. He had a strong 2025 for club and country and was named in the Best XI at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third successive year, having helped the Super Falcons secure the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
Coach of the Year went to Bubista, who led Cape Verde to a maiden World Cup qualification for 2026, a huge achievement for the island nation.
DR Congo striker Fiston Mayele was named Men’s Interclub Player of the Year after finishing as top scorer in the 2024/25 CAF Champions League and helping his Egyptian club Pyramids lift the trophy for the first time.
Othmane Maamma won the Men’s Young Player of the Year award after playing a starring role in Morocco’s dramatic triumph at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025.
Another Moroccan, Doha El Madani, retained the Women’s Young Player of the Year award after helping AS FAR win the Morocco Women’s Championship and finishing as top scorer at the CAF Women’s Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2025, where Morocco took the title.
Morocco’s Under-20 team were named Men’s National Team of the Year after winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, while Nigeria’s Super Falcons were Women’s National Team of the Year following their WAFCON success, earning the honour for a second consecutive year.
Pyramids’ CAF Champions League triumph earned them the Men’s Club of the Year award.
Goal of the Year went to Tanzania’s Clement Mzize for his stunning long-range strike for Young Africans against TP Mazembe in the CAF Champions League, the only award decided by a fan vote.
The winners of the Women’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Interclub Player of the Year and Women’s Club of the Year awards will be announced after the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League currently being held in Egypt.