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Rabat – Italian football club Inter Milan has welcomed Atlas Lion Achraf Hakimi with a video paying tribute to his Moroccan origins.
The video, shared on Inter Milan’s social media on Wednesday, September 9, showcases several shots taken in Morocco and Spain, the two countries that helped forge Hakimi’s football career.
The scenes recorded in Morocco include the blue walls of Chefchaouen, the Moroccan Sahara dunes, the Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech, and a collection of handcrafted traditional lamps.
The video features Achraf Hakimi doing a voiceover in Spanish as the scenes pass by.
“Travel. Running. Unity. The desert. The city. The winds and the light. The sunrise and the sunset. My origins. My goals,” the script says.
The footage includes a large transcription of the script in Arabic, as well as smaller subtitles in Italian.
“I am Achraf Hakimi. The Spanish. The Moroccan. The Interista (Inter Milan supporter),” Hakimi says at the end of the video.
The final scene of the video shows Hakimi wearing the jersey of his new club, Inter Milan, while bearing a Moroccan flag on his left shoulder.
Hakimi recently signed a five-year contract with Inter Milan. The Italian club paid a transfer fee of €40 million to recruit him.
Playing for three European giants at only 21 years old
Born to a Moroccan couple in Madrid, Achraf Hakimi is one of the most prominent African players in Europe. Despite having a Spanish nationality, he has chosen to represent Morocco internationally since a young age.
The 21-year-old right winger began his senior professional career with Spanish giant Real Madrid in 2016, after playing for all its youth squads since 2006.
After one year with Real Madrid, where he made nine appearances and scored two goals, Hakimi went on loan to Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.
The Atlas Lion had two remarkable seasons with the German club, scoring 11 goals and making 17 assists in 62 games.
After the end of his loan period with Dortmund, Achraf Hakimi received several offers from major European clubs, including Bayern Munich and Manchester United, before opting for Inter Milan.
Internationally, Hakimi made 28 appearances for the Atlas Lions and scored two goals. He participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
