Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has expressed immense pride after being crowned the African Men’s Player of the Year, surpassing former winners Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen to claim the award for the first time in his career.
In his acceptance speech, Hakimi thanked his family, teammates, and national team coach Walid Regragui, calling the achievement “a moment of great pride.” The 27-year-old enjoyed a standout season, winning another Ligue 1 title, the French Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup, though PSG finished as runners-up in the Club World Cup final in New York. Hakimi is expected to lead host nation Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations beginning December 21, despite recently suffering a severe ankle sprain.
Morocco enjoyed further success on the night. Yassine Bounou was named Best Men’s Goalkeeper, while Morocco’s Under-20 World Cup-winning team secured the Best Men’s National Team award. Watford’s 20-year-old Othmane Maamma was honoured as Best Young Men’s Player, and Doha El Madani retained the Best Young Women’s Player title.
Cape Verde’s Bubista won Men’s Coach of the Year after guiding the island nation of just over half a million people to qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
On the women’s side, Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie claimed the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third consecutive year. She beat Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi and South Africa’s Andile Dlamini after a stellar season that saw her help Paris FC win the Coupe de France Féminine and lead the Super Falcons to their record 10th WAFCON title, keeping four clean sheets and winning the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper award. After WAFCON, she made an impressive transition to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League, earning multiple nominations, including WSL Save of the Month and PFA Fans’ Player of the Month.
The Super Falcons were also crowned Women’s Team of the Year, triumphing over Ghana’s Black Queens and Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses following their dominant championship run at the 2024 WAFCON in Morocco.
In the individual women’s category, Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak was named CAF Women’s Player of the Year, edging Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade, who had an exceptional season with both the Super Falcons and PSG.
Rising star Shakirat Moshood earned a place among the Top 3 finalists for the Young Player of the Year (Women) award, underscoring her remarkable progress. Bayelsa Queens also earned recognition as finalists, highlighting their growing influence in African women’s Football.
