Achraf Hakimi awaits Ballon d’Or verdict after historic 2025 finish

Home Home Latest News Latest News World Footaball World Footaball Ghana Players Abroad Ghana Players Abroad Ghana Premier League Ghana Premier League National Teams National Teams Videos Videos Black Stars Black Stars Transfer News & Rumours Transfer News & Rumours Kotoko Kotoko Hearts Of Oak Hearts Of Oak Achraf Hakimi awaits Ballon d’Or verdict after historic 2025 finish 26 October 2026 Share this with Email Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Whatsapp Achraf Hakimi will discover his position in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings in London on Monday, with pre-ceremony projections suggesting the Paris Saint-Germain defender could fall sharply from last year’s sixth-place finish.

Hakimi’s second consecutive nomination is already a significant milestone. The Morocco captain had never appeared among the 30 candidates until 2025, despite a career that has taken him from Real Madrid to Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

His achievements include winning the Bundesliga with Dortmund and Serie A with Inter before becoming an important member of the PSG squad. Morocco’s run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, however, was not enough to earn him a place in the following year’s Ballon d’Or ranking. Yassine Bounou, who finished 13th in 2023, was the only Moroccan representative that year.

Hakimi made history with his first nomination. His sixth-place finish in 2025 made him the highest-ranked Moroccan player in the history of the award, surpassing Bounou’s previous record.

There was still a sense of frustration in Morocco over that result. Hakimi had produced an outstanding season and scored in PSG’s final victory against Inter, leading him to believe he had a case for a place in the top three or even higher.

His sixth-place finish remains the benchmark he will take into this year’s ceremony. Hakimi’s latest campaign also includes 49 appearances, four goals and 17 assists, along with another Champions League title, Ligue 1, the UEFA Super Cup and an Africa Cup of Nations title whose final attribution remains subject to a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS).

The official Ballon d’Or website has also noted that this is only Hakimi’s second nomination.

Several rankings published before the ceremony indicate that Hakimi may not come close to his 2025 position. The Guardian has forecast him to finish 21st, while the Mirror places him 22nd. A separate projection by Sports Mole has him 16th.

Those predictions are not leaks and do not represent the result of the vote. The official ranking will only be confirmed when it is announced during Monday’s ceremony.

A significant drop would nevertheless attract considerable attention in Morocco. Hakimi remains a key player for Paris Saint-Germain and has again won the most prestigious club competition in Europe. However, his individual season was less outstanding than the previous one, while the World Cup carried considerable weight in the debate over the award.

His position as a defender may also count against him when compared with forwards whose goals and other attacking statistics naturally attract votes.

A top-10 finish would confirm Hakimi’s standing among the game’s elite and keep him close to his 2025 peak. A position around 20th, by contrast, would be regarded as a severe demotion.

Whatever the outcome in London, Hakimi has already improved another record: after never being nominated during the early years of his career, he is now among the 30 best players in the world for a second successive year.