CAF Awards: Hakimi beats Salah and Osimhen to POTY award

Achraf Hakimi wins CAF African Player of the Year 2025 in Rabat, beating Salah & Osimhen. Morocco dominates awards with Chebbak, Bounou also honored.

Achraf Hakimi has named African Footballer of the Year after a sensational season for PSG. (Photo credit: Nigerian Info)

PSG and Morocco international Achraf Hakimi has been named the CAF African Player of the Year at a lavish event in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday.

The right-back star won the majority of the votes to finish top of a top three that has Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah and Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen. It was a stellar year of achievement for Hakimi, as he won the Ligue 1, the League Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

"It is really a proud moment for me to win this prestigious award," Hakimi said.

"This trophy is not just for me but for all the strong men and women who have dreams of being a footballer in Africa. And for those that always believed in me since I was a child, that I would be a professional footballer one day. I would like to thank them all."

In a night that relatively belongs to Moroccans, Ghizlane Chebak became the first Moroccan woman to win the female version of the player of the year as she beat fellow Moroccan Sanaa Massoudy and Nigerian forward Rasheedat Ajibade to the award.

For an unprecedented berth at the World Cup for the tiny nation of Cape Verde, Bubista has been named the coach of the year, while Moroccan goalkeeper Yacine Bounou won goalkeeper of the year for his stellar showing for Al Hilal.

Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was named female goalkeeper of the year, and the Nigerian Super Falcons also went home with the women's team of the year. Pyramids FC won the club of the year.