Only the sky seems to be the limit for Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi. Fresh off
Morocco’s controversial AFCON triumph earlier this year, the 27-year-old has added yet another trophy to an already overflowing cabinet by winning the UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this weekend.
Following the French club’s victory over Arsenal, Hakimi claimed the third Champions League title of his career, officially becoming the Arab player with the most trophies in the competition’s history. French-born Algerian striker Karim Benzema may have won the tournament five times, but having represented France at international level, the Moroccan defender stands alone at the top of the list.
Hakimi’s journey to three titles has come via Real Madrid in 2018 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2025 and 2026, strengthening his claim as one of the most successful African footballers of his generation. The achievement also adds to a remarkable season for the Moroccan international, who has now collected domestic and European silverware with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as continental glory with Morocco, all within the span of a few months. And with the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to kick off on American soil on June 11, there may still be another chapter left to write.
As far as African football is concerned, the Parisian left-back has now drawn level with Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o for the most UEFA Champions League trophies won by an African player. Eto’o lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2006 and 2009 before winning it again with Inter Milan in 2010, a record that stood untouched for more than a decade.
The key difference between him and Eto’o is age. While the Cameroonian reached the end of his Champions League journey with three titles, Hakimi is only 27 and appears to have several peak years still ahead of him. If he wins the competition once more, he would become the first African player to ever claim four Champions League crowns (or more).
Whether he eventually breaks the record or not, Hakimi has already entered a conversation reserved for the very best African players to ever grace the game. With three Champions League titles, an AFCON trophy, and a World Cup still on the horizon this summer, the only question that remains is how much higher he can climb.