Hakimi beats Osimhen, Salah to CAF POTY

The CAF Men's Player of the Year award now has a non-nigerian winner for the first time in two years, as Morocco international Achraf Hakimi has piped Mohamed Salah and 2023 winner, Victor Osimhen, to the prize.

The 27-year-old right back has been rewarded for his incredible season with Paris Saint-Germain, in which how contributed immensely to a treble winning campaign.

At the ceremony held in Rabat, Hakimi was named CAF Men’s Player of the Year, becoming both the first defender in 52 years and the first Moroccan since 1998 to claim the accolade.  

His triumph was underpinned by a trophy-laden 2024-25 season with Paris Saint‑Germain. He won the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Super Cup. 

In the Champions League alone he registered one goal (in the final) and five assists.  Additionally, as captain of the Morocco national team, he helped sustain an unbeaten international run and played a central role in their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.

Hakimi edged out two strong contenders: Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) and Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray). Salah had another dominant season in the Premier League and contributed heavily for Egypt, while Osimhen smashed scoring records in Turkey and for Nigeria. However, neither matched Hakimi in the combination of team trophies plus direct impact, at least according to the voters of the award.