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.