INA- Follow-up
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi praised Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, the French team's right-back, on Thursday.
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"For me, Achraf Hakimi is one of the best players in the world and undoubtedly the best African player," Al-Khelaifi stated.
"He is a leader at Paris Saint-Germain and a leader for Morocco; we are all proud of him," the French club president added.
His teammate Ousmane Dembélé, the French national team star and winner of this year's Ballon d'Or for the world's best player, congratulated the Moroccan star on Instagram, writing, "Congratulations, my brother, you truly deserve it."
Just minutes after the ceremony, Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national team and star of Real Madrid, congratulated his former teammate Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back, on winning the Ballon d'Or for best African player.
Al-Khelaifi was in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on Wednesday evening to attend the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards ceremony for the year 2025.
Achraf Hakimi won the African Player of the Year award, beating out Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool and Egyptian national team star who won the award twice (2017 and 2018), and Nigerian Victor Osimhen, the Galatasaray striker who won the same award in 2013 when he was playing for Napoli.