Beginners luck is something every player wants to have when they enter a big tournament like World Cup or the Champions League, or in the case of Achraf Hakimi, AFCON. PSG defender was one of star players from Morocco who entered the tournament for the first time, but with high hopes, and he even scored two goals before eventually losing in the quarterfinals after an overtime goal from Egypt. AFCON 2021 Team of the Tournament: Mendy on the line, Hakimi on the right, Mane, Salah and Aboubakar in attackAnd although Morocco didn’t reach the finals, Hakimi said that he has a ‘bittersweet feeling’ about his team’s involvement in the tournament, and also talked about some surprising moments and interesting players. “I was surprised, because I was also going to an Africa Cup for the first time, Comoros, which caused people to talk when they went out of the group for the first time. They fought to the end with a goalkeeper player, with everything that happened due to the covid issue, and I think I’ll stay with them. I met them at the hotel and the truth is that I only had to congratulate them for what they showed on the pitch. I told them that I am proud to have been able to see what they had done. And there are some players who are little known, like Sulemana, a very good left winger from Rennes who plays with Ghana; from my team, like the centre-back Nayef Aguerd, who has competed a lot, and we also have a very good striker, Ryan Mmaee. Few people know them and we have other great players” said Hakimi in an interview with Marca.Goalllllllllll#hakimi #GoalOfTheDay #ParisSanGerman pic.twitter.com/oOhF4WcJEr— Some Ppl (@SomePpl3) February 10, 2022 PSG defender is having a great season so far in Ligue 1 and he admitted that he feels at home in Paris. “In France I feel very comfortable. There are many people from Africa here, many Arabs who have received me very well and with great affection. The fans in the Parc des Princes always support us, at key moments. In the League it shows but in the Champions League too. They support us very well and the Champions League night is going to be magical. I like Paris also because of the language spoken in Morocco and I learn more and more. It is a country and a city that makes me improve and learn and enjoy the city with my family, especially its culture” explained the Moroccan. Chelsea doing some AFCON scouting as squad problems pile upFormer Real Madrid player will now face his former club in the knockout stage of the Champions League and Hakimi can’t wait. “It is a nice game to play and as you know it is a team that I have in my heart for everything it has given me, it has made me as a person and as a player, and it has made me learn. We are going to prepare very well for the game” said former Real full back.AFCON 2021: Sikazwe claims God told him to blow full-time too early at the Mali-Tunisia tieThe Moroccan is one of those players who came out of the Real youth academy but didn’t get the proper chance in the club. “It is true that when you join Madrid for the first time you come from playing for Castilla and it is normal that the club does not bet so much because you are a young player. But then when I left for Dortmund I went on loan and had two great seasons and I had to come back and decide. And then Madrid, I think, was still not betting on me, although I could continue playing at a high level. And then when I left for Inter after being transferred, there was also a purchase option from Madrid and they didn’t execute it either, so I think Madrid didn’t want to bet as much on me as other clubs. And I’m happy because I think these clubs were not wrong to bet on me” explained Hakimi. It’s not hard being a footballer and studying – especially when someone else is taking exams for youPlaying in such a big club like PSG means that the Moroccan can train every day with such stars as Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. But, Hakimi named another player with whom he is really impressed. “It is normal that players like Messi, Neymar or Mbappe surprise you, but the truth is that the one who has surprised me in particular, although I already knew him, is Marco Verratti. Seeing him in person, training with him, is knowing that even though he’s under pressure, he’s calm. He holds the ball, it is impossible to take the ball from him. The quality of those above is evident, but seeing Marco in person is a pleasure” said Hakimi.
