Achraf Hakimi was recently crowned African Ballon d’Or 2025, after finishing sixth in the France Football Ballon d’Or rankings.
On September 22, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The Frenchman from PSG is ahead of Lamine Yamal, second, Vitinha, third, as well as his Moroccan teammate Achraf Hakimi. An individual victory which marks the end of a remarkable season and which got many football observers talking.
A few weeks later, on November 19 in Rabat, Achraf Hakimi was elected African Ballon d’Or 2025. A great achievement for the right side of PSG, who had to settle for sixth place in the overall Ballon d’Or. Despite this ranking considered too low, Hakimi thus received deserved recognition on the African continent for his exceptional season.
“He should have been in the fight”
For Claude Le Roy, former coach of several African nations, Hakimi would have deserved to be closer to the top of the world rankings. “I love Achraf Hakimi and I didn’t understand why he wasn’t higher in the Ballon d’Or rankings. Well, fortunately he was crowned best African player. The Golden Ball? I don’t know if he should have won it since Ousmane Dembélé deserved it too, but he should have been in the fight until the end to win the Ballon d’Or.”he said in an interview with Skwad.
The former African technician insists on Hakimi’s exceptionality in his position: “There hasn’t been a right-back like him in the history of football for 50 years, ever. Able with the progress he has made defensively to be as strong defensively and as strong offensively. He is an exceptional player. » For Le Roy, his versatility and impact on offensive and defensive play clearly sets him apart in the global football landscape. The interested party will appreciate it.
