Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain star defender Achraf Hakimi has been named 2025 African men’s Player of the Year.
Hakimi finished ahead of former winners Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah to clinch the award.
He is the first Moroccan since Mustapha Hadji (1998) to claim the continent’s prestigious individual men’s award and is the first defender to be named Africa’s best player since former TP Mazembe centre-back Bwanga Tshimen in 1973.
The right-back was instrumental for both the French giants and his national team.
He helped PSG land the treble, securing the Ligue 1, French Cup and first UEFA Champions League title.
In the final of the Champions League against his former club Inter Milan, Hakimi opened the scoring in the 5-0 win.
He also helped the Parisiens reach the final of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup which they lost 3-0 to Chelsea in the final.
For the Atlas Lions of Morocco, he helped them qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
However, there are fears Hakimi could miss this year’s AFCON in his country due to injury.
In the women’s category Ghizlane Chebbak also from Morocco emerged as the winner ahead of Super Falcons and PSG forward Rasheedat Ajibade.
Another Morocco international was recognised as Yassine Bounou claimed the CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award after a standout year that included being named in the Best XI at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third consecutive year, having helped the Super Falcons secure the WAFCON title.
CAF Men’s Coach of the Year went to Bubista, who led Cape Verde to a maiden FIFA World Cup qualification for 2026, the greatest achievement in the country’s football history.
The CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award will be presented upon completion of the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League Egypt 2025.
DR Congo striker Fiston Mayele was named CAF Men’s Interclub Player of the Year after finishing as top scorer in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/25, helping his Egyptian club Pyramids lift the trophy for the first time.
The CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year winner will also be announced at the conclusion of the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt.
Othmane Maamma won the CAF Men’s Young Player of the Year award after playing a starring role in Morocco’s thrilling triumph at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025.
Also Read: Missing Out Of 2026 WC Still Hurt –Akor
Morocco’s Doha El Madani retained the CAF Women’s Young Player of the Year award after helping AS FAR to the Morocco Women’s Championship and finishing as top scorer at the CAF Women’s Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2025, where Morocco took the title.
Morocco’s Under-20 team were named Men’s National Team of the Year after winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025, while Nigeria’s Super Falcons were the Women’s National Team of the Year.
Pyramids’ CAF Champions League triumph made them worthy winners of the CAF Men’s Club of the Year award, while the women’s club prize will be announced after the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt.
Goal of the Year went to Tanzania’s Clement Mzize for his stunning long-range strike for Young Africans against TP Mazembe in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. It was the only award decided by a fan vote.
CAF AWARDS 2025 WINNERS
CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain)
CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco / Al Hilal)
CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Al Hilal)
CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Brighton & Hove Albion)
CAF INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo / Pyramids)
CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Othmane Maamma (Morocco / Watford)
CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)
CAF COACH OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Bubista (Cape Verde)
CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Morocco Under-20
CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Nigeria
CAF CLUB OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Pyramids (Egypt)
REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Omar Abdulkadir (Somalia)
ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Liban Abdoulrazack (Djibouti)
REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda)
ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Tabara Mbodji (Senegal)
By James Agberebi
5 Comments
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha @femi how far? If there are no hospital bed in your area I have here o….Hahaha
But seriously now, I think caf robbed osimhen…Hahaha
I mean with all the 37 goals in 41 appearance for galatesary?…he won the Turkish cup and the league…even this season he is already doing wonders…he has 6 goals already in all competitions…he is the highest goal scorer in the champions league…the first Nigerian to score a hatric after yaks…he scored a superb goal against almighty Liverpoo…hahahaha scored brace each against Benin and gabon…Hahaha
This guy is so great that even uefa did a champions league documentary for him that in barely 24hrs it got 1 million views….hahahaha
So what exactly is your point……LMAOooo……..Even Mo Salah, who won the EPL title, won the EPL golden boot, and won the EPL player of the season, didn’t win it. Playing in the EPL was supposed to be the only route to global recognition……LMAOooooo. A player from Ligue 1, a defender for that matter, just won the AFOTY now…….sending your fallacy down the pit latrine……LMAOooo
Your never got nominated for anything good in his life, so why are you trying to act as if you are laughing when in actual fact you are in sorrow that Osimhen’s name is still getting mentioned on the big stages of football……LMAOooo. Stop being stupid and face your life so that one day you too can at least make the top 3 in something sensible for the 1st time in your lineage.
You claimed Osimhen’s career is dead yet he’s still getting AFOTY nominations…….LMAOooo……Nobody watches the Turkish league yet Osimhen makes top 3 in AFOTY award playing in the Turkish league over players playing in the EPL, Bundesliga and Serie A………LMAOoooo.
Can’t you see your cheap lies are being shattered day by day……??? I noticed even you have realized your lies no longer sell. Your own lies have stopped sounding like the truth to you…….LMAOoooo
The AFOTY defending champion who plays in Serie A never even got a mention…….I guess he too needs to go and beg Finidi…….LMAOooo. It is the man who plays in a tolotolo league that is raising the flag of Nigeria high in the AFOTY award. Without Osimhen, Nigeria wouldn’t even have any mention in the men’s award…….LMAOooo. The boy is practically carrying Nigerian football high on his shoulders at all levels on the continental and global stage……LMAOoo.
So yes, you are right, the guy is so great he’s the only Nigerian to make the top 3 twice since Jay Kanu and Jay Okocha……..read and underline the names Kanu and Jay Jay Okocha again ehn…..LMAOoo
Yes, he’s so great, he’s the highest-ranked Nigerian ever in the Ballon d’Or award.
Yes, he’s so great, he’s the highest scoring Nigerian ever in Europe and European competitions
Yes, he’s so great he’s 7 goals shy of becoming Nigeria’s all-time top scorer in international football in less than 50 matches already.
Thank you for confessing his greatness, ehn. From “he is not good”, it became “he is not that good”, then “he is not that very good”, and now “he is so great”. Common sense is getting closer to catching up with you after all.
I will make sure Osimhen never knows peace……LMAOooo……how market…???
See all the great things you’ve just used your own hands to list about him in the same period you were supposed to deny him peace…….LMAOooo
Hellooooo…who seems to not have peace now……???
That is how God punishes our enemies. He makes them witness and confess our greatness in their lifetime. And when they do not desist, he makes sure they never amount to anything in life, no matter how hard they work. He makes sure great things continue to elude them, their children, children’s children, to their 7th generation.
I see you have chosen to be shameless because of Osimhen….LMAOooo…..but what you don’t know is that it won’t stop you from continuing to be shamed by Osimhen every passing week……..LMAOoooo
I will make sure Osimhen never knows peace has not found peace for over a year……LMAOooo. Miracle no dey taya Jesus indeed.
See me feeling sorry for you now that your efforts have gone to waste…..eyaahhhhh sorry ehn. Go and look for a more profitable endeavor to venture into ehn.
An award very well deserved. CAF( Confederation of Africa football and the organizers were spot on. Hakim deserved to win it this year, he won every trophy that mattered and he was very solid and contributed so much in helping PSG win the EUFA Champions league. Victor Osimen did well too, but it will amount to a pure daylight rubbery if Hakimi is denied what is rightfully his. Once more congratulations to Hakimi the latest Africa footballer of the year.
What are you saying bro…victor osimhen deserve it more than hakim…he won the Turkish league, Turkish cup with 37 goals in 41 appearance…
You guys cannot stop osimhen greatness that’s all I can…
Even eufa recognised his greatness that the other day they did a champions league documentary on him and in barely 24hrs it got one million views….
I was supposed to be sad that Morocco failed to beat Brazil yesterday in under 17 world cup quarter finals.
But I was happy in a sad way… I wished Nigeria traded positions with them.
But some wishes are illusionary.
Morocco won:
* CAF player of the year (men/women)
* CAF young player of the year (men/women)
* CAF goalkeeper of the year (men)
* CAF national team of the year (men)
* Yesterday, AS FAR of Morocco won the CAF women’s champions league (2nd time in 3 years).
— In fact, it was because of this trophy CAF suspended announcing the women’s national team and coach of the year awards during the gala.
Your guess of eventual winners should not shock anybody.
Not forgetting Moroccan strides before now:
* World cup Playoff host (Africa) because of “ordinary world class infrastructure”
* WAFCON 2026 host (automatic qualifiers), after hosting twice before
* The only African nation that attracted 2023 Women’s world cup winning coach (Jorge Vilda) and two time UEFA women’s champions league winner (Reynald Pedros) and didn’t owe their salaries but “ripping” off their wealth of knowledge
* 2030 FIFA world cup co-host (that means there’ll be no fear of playoff or missing out)
* The only African team to reach the semi finals of the senior world cup in Qatar 2022, despite Pele after seeing us play in the 90s, tipping us instead to do so
* Automatic qualifiers and host of under 17 wwc every year till 2029
* FIFA World ranking number 12
* The only team to win all 10 FIFA world cup 2026 qualifiers even on potato pitches
* Current Olympics football bronze medallist
* Newly crowned Under 20 World cup champions (that has eluded Nigeria since it first participated in 1983 (Nigeria has appeared in 13 WC editions))
I wish this was Nigeria. That’s who true giants are.
I just read a Sam Nda Isaiah’s column “A father, his son and 55 years of Nigeria football failure” and I cried.
His father wrote that column at the time Congo then Zaire knocked us out to qualify for their first and only world cup to date.
Everything he pointed out 55 years ago still happened again after his son had stumbled on that piece recently.
The author said if nothing is done urgently, his own child might write the same failure story by 2080.
Morocco is building from the ground up.
Nigeria is deodorizing failure and paper cracks of indolence and incompetence