Achraf Hakimi has charged his teammates to fight with all they have to win the 2025 AFCON, a powerful message delivered during his acceptance speech after being crowned the CAF Men’s Player of the Year for 2025, becoming only the fifth Moroccan in history to receive the prestigious award.
Since lifting their first and only AFCON trophy in 1976, the Atlas Lions have struggled to replicate that triumph, often entering tournaments with promise but leaving without silverware.
Now, with AFCON returning to Moroccan soil and the nation rallying behind them, the pressure and hope are greater than ever.
“I know that we are all proud of you, like my teammate Yassin Bono said, we [Morocco] will try to do our best to actually win the AFCON [2025] Trophy.”
Hakimi is likely to miss the 2025 AFCON, scheduled for December on home soil, after suffering a long-term injury.
