Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen missed out as Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi won the African Player of the Year award. The Moroccan full-back collected the honour on Wednesday evening, sealing a triumphant year in which he won the treble, including the Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League trophy. The only blemish was PSG’s defeat in the Club World Cup final to Chelsea in New York, where he was forced to settle for a silver medal.
Hakimi emerges as the best in Africa
A visibly moved Hakimi thanked the people who had shaped his journey, including his family, PSG teammates and Morocco manager Walid Regragui.
"It's really an honour for me to be here today and I'm proud to win such a prestigious trophy," Hakimi said.
His celebrations, however, are tempered by a painful reality as he is currently recovering from a severe ankle sprain. Morocco are hopeful he will recover in time to lead the host nation at the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on December 21. If fit, he will spearhead their attempt to win the tournament for the first time since 1976.
The ceremony turned into a showcase of Moroccan football’s growing influence. Ghizlane Chebbak won the women's African Player of the Year prize, edging teammate Sanaa Mssoudy and Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade. Chebbak had finished as top scorer in this year’s Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, even though Morocco ultimately fell short against Nigeria in the final.
Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, hero of Morocco’s remarkable World Cup run and now a key figure in Saudi Arabia, claimed the men’s Best Goalkeeper award. Meanwhile, Morocco’s under-20 World Cup-winning side was voted the continent’s top national men’s team, further underlining the nation’s talent pipeline. The accolades continued with Watford’s 20-year-old midfielder Othmane Maamma named Africa’s Best Young Male Player, while Doha El Madani retained her crown as the best young women’s player.
Cape Verde manager Bubista was honoured as Men’s Coach of the Year after guiding the island nation, home to just over half a million people, to an extraordinary qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie completed her own hat-trick by picking up a third consecutive Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSalah’s form under scrutiny as Liverpool struggle
The awards setback for Salah comes at a time when his club form has slipped noticeably. His influence at Liverpool has waned, and the team’s attacking struggles have been laid bare. His output has dropped significantly as he is taking fewer shots and venturing into the penalty area far less than he used to. The Egyptian is far from the only forward under pressure. Florian Wirtz, signed as a creative centrepiece, has yet to tally a goal or assist in the Premier League. By all accounts, he is still adjusting to the speed and physicality of English football. Alexander Isak, who was acquired from Newcastle for a club-record fee, has also endured a frustrating start. Injury setbacks have restricted his involvement, limiting any chance for rhythm or consistency. Hugo Ekitike, who began brightly, has delivered flashes of quality but has been unable to pull together a sustained run of top-level performances. The collective downturn has placed Liverpool in a precarious spot, as they currently sit in the eighth spot with 18 points.
Should Salah step aside?
Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison believes the time may be approaching for a bold reshaping of the attack, one that might involve phasing Salah out of the starting XI.
Hutchison said: "The uncomfortable conversation will be around the likes of Mo Salah because there’s a way to get Ekitike, Isak and Wirtz into the same team, but it means there’s no place for Salah. You can have [Milos] Kerkez on the left and [Conor] Bradley on the right as wing-backs. Then you have [Dominik] Szoboszlai and [Ryan] Gravenberch in midfield. If you want to put a positive spin on it, every team in the Premier League would love Wirtz, Isak and Salah. Now Slot’s job is trying to come up with a formula to get all those three into the same 11, with Ekitike, because you can’t spend all that money on Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike and tell them to fight for their place in the side."
He added: "They have to be starters now. I would be very tempted to play all three from now to the end of the season and play their way into form, into goals, into chemistry, into improving the league position. I know it’s a big jump from now to the end of season, but that will be Liverpool’s team and individuals going forward. That’s what I would look at. So the uncomfortable conversation is around why and how you don’t get Mo Salah into that team anymore. Perhaps the Africa Cup of Nations would be the time to try it!"
Getty Images SportPressure mounts on Slot to fix Liverpool’s fragile core
Before resolving the selection dilemma in the forward line, Slot faces equally urgent issues in defence and midfield. Liverpool have become worryingly easy to play through, conceding goals in ways that would have been unthinkable under Jurgen Klopp at his peak. The balance in midfield continues to feel unsettled, with new signings still struggling to integrate. Salah’s looming departure for the Africa Cup of Nations next month may provide clarity, or further complicate matters, depending on how the team performs without him.
