Hakimi became Africa’s 2019 Youth Player of the Year after an impressive year with his German club Borussia Dortmund and Morocco’s Atlas Lions.
Rabat – Moroccan football player Achraf Hakimi expressed his pride at winning the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Africa’s 2019 Youth Player of the Year award.
Accepting the award on Tuesday, January 8, Hakimi said: “I am proud and happy to win this prestigious award.” Speaking to MAP at the awards ceremony, the young football player added that for him “the most important thing is to honor Moroccan football.”
“That is my ambition,” Hakimi said, full of national pride.
Currently on loan from Real Madrid at German football club Borussia Dortmund, the player said that he is not currently thinking about returning to the Spanish club. “I am currently playing for Borussia Dortmund, and at the end of my loan, I will think about it,” the promising young football player told MAP.
Hakimi received the prestigious award in Egypt at a ceremony attended by Morocco’s Faouzi Laakja and the presidents of both FIFA and CAF.
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“Winning the African Youth Player of the Year is a motivation to win other awards and give a good image of Moroccan football,” the football player added.
Hakimi was not the only Moroccan player to receive praise at the ceremony, with Ziyech, currently playing for Dutch team Ajax Amsterdam, also named as part of the Africa’s 2019 Team of the Year. The selection of Hakim and Ziyech for the Team of the Year lineup reflects the excellence of their performances in football this year, for both the national team and their respective clubs.
Other nominees for the Young Player of the Year award included Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, who plays for Lille, and Samuel Chukwueze, currently signed with Villarreal.
