Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak were crowned Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year respectively at the 2025 CAF Awards held on Wednesday, November 19, at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat.
The prestigious event brought together football stars, coaches, and legends from across Africa to celebrate another year of outstanding performances both on the continent and the global stage.
Hakimi enjoyed a remarkable 2025 campaign, securing the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, French Ligue 1, and Coupe de France titles with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as reaching the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The right-back also played a key role in helping Morocco qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
His triumph makes him the first defender to win the award since TP Mazembe’s Bwanga Tshimen in 1973 and the first Moroccan recipient since Mustapha Hadji in 1998.
On the women’s side, Chebbak claimed the top honour after finishing as the leading scorer at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where Morocco finished as runners-up to Nigeria.
Her win marks a historic milestone — becoming the first Moroccan to earn the CAF Women’s Player of the Year title.
Morocco’s dominance continued as Yassine Bounou clinched the CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, boosted by a strong showing at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie made history of her own, retaining the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for a third straight year following the Super Falcons’ WAFCON triumph in Morocco.
Cape Verde’s Bubista was named CAF Men’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Sharks to their first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification.
The CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award is set to be announced after the CAF Women’s Champions League Egypt 2025 concludes.
In the interclub categories, DR Congo forward Fiston Mayele took Men’s Interclub Player of the Year honours after leading Pyramids SC to their maiden CAF Champions League title.
The women’s winner will also be confirmed at the end of the Women’s Champions League campaign.
Morocco’s youth talent was also celebrated, with Othmane Maamma named Men’s Young Player of the Year and Doha El Madani retaining the Women’s Young Player of the Year award after excelling in domestic and futsal competitions.
The Morocco U-20 men’s team were awarded National Team of the Year following their FIFA U-20 World Cup victory, while Nigeria’s Super Falcons secured the Women’s National Team of the Year accolade for a second consecutive year.
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Story by Xavier Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
