Only sixth in the Ballon d’Or while he hoped at least to be on the podium alongside Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, Achraf Hakimi took his revenge by winning the African Ballon d’Or awarded by CAF, thus succeeding the Nigerian striker from Atalanta Bergamo, Ademola Lookman.
If Mohamed Salah had finished just off the Ballon d’Or podium, the Egyptian had to admit defeat this time, having to settle for second place while the Nigerian Victor Osimhen completed the podium.
“Receiving this trophy is a huge honor. Being recognized on my continent is something very special for me. I would like to thank my teammates, the staff and all of Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and the Moroccan people who support me every day.”reacted the former Interist.
Achraf Hakimi in a walker
But despite the smile displayed by Achraf Hakimi, Parisian and Moroccan supporters were undoubtedly not reassured by the images of the native of Madrid. Victim of a violent tackle from Luis Diaz during the clash between PSG and Bayern Munich at the beginning of the month, the Parisian player appeared with an orthopedic boot to immobilize his left ankle as well as a knee-rest walker to help him move around.
Suffering from a severely sprained ankle, Achraf Hakimi was expected to be absent between six and eight weeks and his presence with Morocco for the opening match of the African Cup of Nations on December 21 is very uncertain. However, it is certain that he will not play again with PSG before 2026.
