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By Oscar Okhifo
Morocco enjoyed a landmark night at the 2025 CAF Awards in Rabat, with Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak crowned Africa’s best male and female players respectively, ending a 27-year wait for the country to reclaim the continent’s top individual football honour.
Hakimi, 27, beat Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen to the men’s award after a stellar season in which he helped Paris Saint-Germain clinch the French league title and their first-ever Champions League trophy.
The right-back, who narrowly missed the award in 2023 and 2024, becomes the first Moroccan to take the prize since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
Hakimi scored the opener in PSG’s dominant 5–0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final and added the UEFA Super Cup, Coupe de France and French Super Cup to his club’s trophy cabinet.
He is, however, in a race against time to be fit for the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil after sustaining ankle ligament damage earlier this month.
“This trophy is not just for me, it is for all Africans who have dreams,” Hakimi said while receiving his award, carefully balancing on his uninjured foot.
Morocco’s celebrations doubled as women’s captain Ghizlane Chebbak upset Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade and team-mate Sanaa Mssoudy to win the Women’s Player of the Year award, making her the first Moroccan to lift the honour since its creation in 2001.
The 35-year-old was the top scorer at the delayed 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where Morocco finished as runners-up to Nigeria.
“I am extremely delighted to receive this award,” Chebbak said.
“This is the fruit of many years of hard work.”
There were more notable wins across the continent. Brighton and Nigeria shot-stopper Chiamaka Nnadozie clinched the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the third straight year, while Cape Verde’s Bubista was named Men’s Coach of the Year after guiding his nation to a historic first World Cup qualification.
Morocco’s dominance continued with Othmane Maamma of Watford securing the Men’s Young Player of the Year award and the country’s Under-20 team clinching Men’s National Team of the Year following their World Cup triumph.
East African leaders Kenya’s William Ruto, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, received outstanding achievement awards for co-hosting the 2024 African Nations Championship and preparing to jointly host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
From the Sports desk of Pointblank news, congratulations to all the winners.