Victor Eludire | Sports Correspondent
Morocco celebrated a historic night at the CAF Awards 2025 in Rabat on Wednesday as Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak claimed the top individual honours, marking a rare double victory for the North African nation. PSG star Hakimi was crowned CAF Men’s Player of the Year after a remarkable season decorated with major European and domestic titles.
Hakimi’s 2025 campaign included winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and reaching the FIFA Club World Cup final. His performances also helped Morocco qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He becomes the first defender to win Africa’s top individual prize since 1973 and the first Moroccan recipient since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
On the women’s side, Chebbak made history as the first Moroccan to win the CAF Women’s Player of the Year award. The Al Hilal midfielder topped the scoring charts at the 2024 WAFCON, where Morocco finished runners-up to Nigeria, capping a year marked by outstanding consistency for both club and country.
Morocco’s dominance extended further as Yassine Bounou was named CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year following a stellar season that saw him earn a place in the FIFA Club World Cup Best XI. Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie retained the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year honour for the third straight year after guiding the Super Falcons to the WAFCON 2024 title.
Cape Verde’s Bubista won CAF Men’s Coach of the Year for leading his nation to its first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification, while additional honours went to Pyramids FC as Club of the Year, Nigeria’s women’s national team as Women’s Team of the Year.
