Real Madrid always tend to boast so much star power in their squad, so much so that there isn’t often room for everybody on Los Blancos’ books to get regular – and consistent – game time.
With the likes of Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo just some of the names to have played in various Galacticos eras, with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe forming the latest iteration, some players will find that they are more often than not sitting on the bench instead.
Achraf Hakimi was one of those players, having been part of the Madrid set-up between 2017-2020, leaving the club – at first on loan to Borussia Dortmund – before deciding to make a permanent switch from La Liga to Serie A to join Inter Milan.
Now with Paris Saint-Germain, though, the right-back has risen to his own stardom, with him currently ranked statistically as the 20th-best player in world football right now, per WhoScored.com, and first overall in the right-back position.
Hakimi’s journey has taken him from Spain to Germany to Italy to France
After making just 17 total appearances in his time with Madrid, Hakimi sought game time elsewhere and went on a two-year loan to German side Dortmund. Coincidentally, during his stint with the Black and Yellow, he announced himself as one of the most promising up-and-coming right-backs in European football.
On one of the biggest stages of them all in the Champions League, in what was his first appearance in the competition for Dortmund, the Moroccan international provided three assists in their 4-0 demolishing of his parent club’s neighbourhood rivals, Atletico Madrid.
|
Achraf Hakimi – Decorated Career |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Statistic |
Real Madrid |
Borussia Dortmund |
Inter Milan |
Paris Saint-Germain |
|
Appearances |
17 |
73 |
45 |
132 |
|
Goals |
2 |
12 |
7 |
16 |
|
Assists |
1 |
17 |
11 |
22 |
|
Club Trophies Won |
UEFA Champions League,UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup |
German Super Cup |
Serie A Champion |
Ligue 1 Champion x 3, French Cup, French Super Cup x 2 |
Known for his burst of pace down the right flank that poses a threat to the defence any time he gets forward, Hakimi set a Bundesliga speed record after he clocked a then-top speed of 36.48 km/h, though that has since been surpassed multiple times with the honour now belonging to VfL Bochum winger, Gerrit Holtmann (36.74 km/h).
Following his successful loan spell in Germany, Italian juggernauts Inter Milan signed Hakimi to a five-year deal worth a reported €40 million. However, after just 40 appearances in the 2020/21 season in which he won the Serie A title, he made the switch to France, signing a five-year deal with Ligue 1 steamrollers PSG, with the team paying a reported €68 million to secure his services.
Now in his fourth season with PSG, and coming off the back of a successful summer in which he helped his country, Morocco, claim the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the 26-year-old has made the right-back position his own, having made 38 goal contributions in 132 appearances in all competitions.
But this season, in particular, has seen him emerge as one of world football’s best players, at least statistically, in his position, whereby he has averaged a 7.47 rating across his 15 appearances so far in the 2024/25 campaign, registering three goals and four assists in all competitions, making him virtually undroppable for Luis Enrique.
Los Blancos have struggled without Dani Carvajal in the line-up
While Hakimi and PSG are atop the Ligue 1 standings with a margin of six points over nearest rivals, Marseille, Madrid are a team struggling for form of late, and find themselves seven points behind Barcelona in La Liga, while they are in 18th place in the Champions League table, having won just two of their four contests in the competition thus far.
This could be partly attributed to the loss of their captain – and one of the greatest right-backs in Champions League history – for the season in Dani Carvajal, after the 32-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his right knee back in October, with doctors warning that he has between a 50-60 percent chance of returning to his peak performance level.
With him out for the long-term, rumours have been ramping up over who Madrid might look to bring in as a replacement cover, with Hakimi reportedly eyeing a return to his former side and hometown club.
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However, it appears that Los Blancos have their eyes firmly set on another world-class defender, and are thought to be preparing to be aggressive in their pursuit of Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the England international out of contract next summer.
As a result, striking a deal with the Premier League star who is looking more and more likely to leave by the day may be much easier than bailing Hakimi out of his contract with PSG, so the Moroccan’s dream of returning home may be forlorn.