Football personalities have begun to throw their weight behind their respective candidates after CAF released the nominee list for CAF POTY.
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique believes that Achraf Hakimi would be a deserving winner of the CAF Player of the Year, stating that the former Real Madrid man was the best right back in the world.
What Enrique said
Hakimi, 26, was a strong contender in last year’s CAF POTY race, losing out to Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman. He has an even stronger case this year, following his treble triumph with PSG, and his club coach Enrique helped to campaign for his cause.
“Hakimi can win the African Ballon d’Or without a doubt; he’s the best right-back in the world,” Enrique said, per Fabrizio Romano.
“That’s why we haven’t signed any right-back; we can’t spend on a replacement who’ll only play 3 matches. He’s also one of the leaders in the locker room.”
Achraf Hakimi | Photo Credit: IMAGO
CAF POTY Nominees
As Pulse Sports reported, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially released the 10-man shortlist for the prestigious 2025 Men’s Player of the Year award on Wednesday, setting the stage for a compelling battle between three of the continent’s biggest stars: Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi.
Morocco and Senegal lead the pack with two nominees each (Hakimi and Oussama; Sarr and Ndiaye), while Nigeria, Egypt, Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon each have a single representative.
Notably absent from the list are several high-profile players who were in contention, including Ghana’s duo of Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo and Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo.
