Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) international star and Atlas Lion, Achraf Hakimi, expressed his pride in playing for the Moroccan national team in various challenges.
"Morocco called me up when I was at the Real Madrid academy. It’s the country of my parents. I try to attend every call-up, to stay ready for everything, whenever the national team needs me," he said in an interview on Saturday with Canal+.
"There are still many matches to come, and we’re going to try to be ready for all of them. This is a dream moment. It’s the first time Morocco will host an AFCON", he said.
"It’s also a goal for me to achieve great things with Morocco. We have the goal of winning this AFCON. It’s a pressure we’ll have to manage well, but we’ll have to take responsibility," he added.
The Moroccan and PSG right-back has been named, for the first time in his career, among the 30 nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, which will be awarded on September 22.
With PSG, he won the Champions League, the French league title, the French Cup, and the Trophée des Champions this year. He was also a finalist at the Club World Cup in the United States.
(MAP: 10 August 2025)
