Like several of his teammates, Moroccan international Anass Zaroury shared his thoughts on his compatriot Achraf Hakimi’s chances of winning the African Player of the Year title, informally known as the African Ballon d’Or.
With just a month and a half until the ceremony, scheduled for December 16 in Marrakech, Zaroury (with 4 caps, not called up since June 2023) expressed his admiration for his teammate Achraf Hakimi without hesitation.
The RC Lens player gave his full support to the right-back, two years his senior, with whom he has shared the field three times on the national team.
“Of course, he fully deserves this trophy. Achraf is exceptional. Despite his young age, he’s a true leader and like an older brother to me,” Zaroury stated in the mixed zone after Lens’s Ligue 1 match against Hakimi’s PSG (a 1-0 loss) on Saturday at the Parc des Princes.
During the match, the two players faced off down the wings, with Zaroury playing as a left winger and Hakimi holding his usual position as right-back for Paris.
Before the game, PSG coach Luis Enrique was asked about Hakimi’s chances of winning the 2024 African Ballon d’Or. Rather than committing to a prediction, the Spanish coach sidestepped the question, while still praising the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist’s abilities.
“I’ve never seen a better right-back than him, and his potential is still enormous. We want him to become a key reference for the team,” Luis Enrique stated.
Despite this praise, Hakimi trails behind the two main favorites for the trophy: Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, who ranked 14th in the France Football Ballon d’Or standings, and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, a prolific scorer over the past two seasons.
Leave a Reply