Morocco's Achraf Hakimi named African player of the year in Ligue 1
The 26-year-old Moroccan won the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize on Monday ahead of Nice forward Evann Guessand, from Ivory Coast, and Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra, from Senegal.
He succeeds Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the honour in 2024 when playing for Marseille.
The prize is named after Foé, the popular Cameroon player and two-time African champion who collapsed and died on a field in France in 2003 while playing for his country.
Hakimi, regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world, scored as the Paris side defeated Arsenal 2-1 last week in their Champions League semifinal second leg.
PSG are hoping for their first-ever treble. In addition to the Champions League final against Inter Milan on May 31, they face Reims the week before in the French Cup final.
Hakimi is the second defender to win the award after Congolese player Chancel Mbemba in 2023. He's also the fourth Moroccan, following Marouane Chamakh in 2009, Younès Belhanda in 2012 and Sofiane Boufal in 2016.
The PSG right-back was a key player in the Moroccan team that made history in 2022 by becoming the first African squad to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.
He has faced a criminal investigation in France since March 2023 over rape allegations he denies. The player's lawyer says Hakimi was the victim of "attempted racketeering".
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