Most Valuable Defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations

Defenders play a crucial role in the game of football; stopping the opponent's play and not allowing them to score a goal against their team are some of the main responsibilities of the defenders in football. However, in modern football, defenders have other responsibilities and many coaches, for example, use defenders as playmakers. Since they do not score as many goals as strikers and midfielders, usually, their market value is lower than other footballers in different roles.

With the 2021 African Cup of Nations that was held in Cameroon in January and early February 2022, we have decided to start looking back at the most prestigious football tournament in the black continent and introduce some of the most valuable defenders who played in the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Most expensive defenders of the 2021 AFCON

Before starting the list of most valuable defenders in 2021

, we should mention that all the market values provided in our article are from Transfermarkt website and reflects the players' market values during the 2021 African Cup of Nations. Now stay tuned if you are eager to know who are the most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Willy Boly

The first player to appear in our list of most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is Willy Boly who had a market value of 8 million euros during the competition in Cameroon. Despite having fitness problems after his injury during the summer, he was called up to the national team for the tournament and was working with the team physios to get ready for the competition; however, in the end, he did not go to Cameroon and missed the tournament because of injury.

Willy Boly joined the INF Clairefontaine when he was just 13 years old, then was discovered by Daniel Rolland at the age of 16 and transferred to the AJ Auxerre academy. Following a few months in the youth team of AJ Auxerre at the age of 18-19. He broke into the first team, then signed his first professional contract in February 2011 until June 2014 with an option for an additional year.

His first appearance under Jean Fernandez was on 16 April 2011 as a substitute against

. He scored his first goal for the club on 24 April 2011 in a home match against RC Lens. He ended the last two months of the league as a first-team regular.

When Laurent Fournier took over as AJ Auxerre's new coach on 1 July 2011, Willy Boly's position as a regular in the Auxerre defence was strengthened. The player aimed to play at least thirty games during the 2011-2012 season. At the end of the season, he played 33 games in Ligue 1. Although the club was relegated to Ligue 2, Willy Boly remained at the club for two seasons, in which he played around 30 games per season.

He signed a four-year contract with SC Braga on 31 August 2014. During the 2014-15 season he only managed to play one match for Braga in the Portuguese league cup; however, the following season, he was able to play 39 matches for the club in all competitions and scored two goals.

Having played three league games for SC Braga, on 31 August 2016, he moved to FC Porto for a fee of €6.5m. However, he wasn't getting enough game time in Porto and only played 7 matches in all competitions before being sent on loan to Wolves.

He was loaned out to Wolverhampton on 8 July 2017, where he contributed to the club's rise to the Premier League with 37 appearances and a place in the team of the season. Following this magnificent season in which the club ended up as champions, Wolverhampton opted to exercise their option to buy him and transferred him permanently from Porto for an estimated €12m.

Born to parents of Ivory Coast origin, Boly represented France in the different youth teams of under 16, under 17 and under 19. However, Boly decided to represent Ivory Coast on international and thus became a representative of Côte d'Ivoire in 2020. He made his debut in the qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations 2021, winning 2: 1 over Madagascar on 12 November 2020.

Romain Saïss

The 31-year-old Moroccan central defender Romain Saïss has secured a place for himself in the list of most valuable defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a total market value of 9 million euros. As the captain of the Moroccan national team, Romain Saïss played a key role in his team during the 2022 African Cup of Nations, playing in all matches of the tournament except for the third group stage match against

, in which he played just a few minutes of the game as a substitute. Romain Saïss and his team were knocked out by Egypt in the quarterfinal.

He started his career with the French amateur club AS Valence. Then in 2011, he managed to make the jump to the second-division club Clermont Foot. Following two years of regular appearances, he transferred to equally-ranked AC Le Havre. After two further years in Ligue 2, first-division club SCO Angers signed Saïss. With Saïss quickly becoming a regular, he also caught the attention of foreign clubs. During the summer of 2016, he transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second-tier English league in exchange for a transfer fee of around €4 million.

Since his arrival in Wolves, he has played a total of 202 matches for the English club, scoring 15 goals for them in all competitions. Saïss mainly plays in defensive midfield at club level, while in the national team he is more often used in central defence. Saïss is a great admirer of the Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets. According to his own statement, his game, especially his positional play and simple style of play, is inspired by Busquets.

Saïss made the decision to play for his father's homeland, Morocco. His debut came in 2012 in a friendly match against

, which was lost 1-0. Having not been called up to the national team for a few years, he then made his competitive debut in 2016 in the 2017 Africa Cup qualifiers, a match against

in which Morocco won 1-0, with Saïss playing through. In addition, Saïss took part in the 2017 Africa Cup, playing 3 games. His first international goal came in the second group match against Togo.

Appearing for the full duration in all matches of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Saïss was instrumental in Morocco's qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Following a 2-2 draw with Spain and two 1-0 defeats to Portugal and

, Morocco was knocked out of the tournament at the bottom of Group B. In the first and last game, Saïss was used as a central defender.

Nayef Aguerd

The 25 years old Moroccan central defender Nayef Aguerd has secured a place for himself in our list of most valuable defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a market value of 9 million euros. Just like his teammate Achraf Hakimi, Nayef played in every match for his national team without losing a single minute, all the way to the quarterfinal match against the Egyptian national team which they lost on penalties and thus was knocked out of the tournament.

Aguerd was part of the youth academy of both FUS Rabat and the Mohammed VI Football academy during his early days in football. He was once again brought back by FUS Rabat in 2014. It was on 2 November 2014 that he played his first-ever league debut for FUS Rabat with a starting spot against Chabab Rif Al Hoceima.

In that season, Aguerd appeared in twelve league games and won the Coupe du Trône with FUS. In the next season Aguerd was a regular starting player, but due to injury he only played fifteen matches. In part thanks to Aguerd, the club from Rabat was able to win the Botola Pro again after seventy-nine years. Having played 69 games in which he scored five times, Aguerd departed for French side Dijon FCO in 2018.

On 25 August 2018, Aguerd went on to make his debut with a starting spot in the 4-0 win against

. In that match, Aguerd scored immediately. While Aguerd immediately secured a starting spot, he played only seventeen games through that season, despite suffering returning injuries, during which he scored three times.

Aguerd grew into a key player for Dijon in the 2019/20 season. In fact, he played all the matches but was injured in the match against Olympique Lyonnais. He made his return on 15 February 2020 in the match against

. He began immediately in the starting line-up.

Aguerd departed Dijon after two seasons and transferred to Stade Rennes for €5,000,000. He was a regular at Rennes and played in the league and Champions League. His European debut came in the Champions League on 20 October 2020 (matchday 1) against FK Krasnodar. He extended his contract with the Ligue 1 club at the end of August 2021 until June 2025.

Nayef Aguerd appeared two times for the Moroccan U-23 national team before debuting for the senior team against the Albanian national team on 31 August 2016. Over six years since his debut, he played 17 times for the senior national team. He scored in a World Cup qualifier against

on 2 September 2021 as his team won 2-0.

Serge Aurier

The first right-back to have a place in our list of most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is the experienced Serge Aurier, who at the time of the competition had a market value of 12 million euros. Playing in his fourth AFCON competition, Serge Aurier played three matches for his country and was able to provide an assist in the third group stage match against

.

Aurier kicked off his career with Stade d'Abidjan. Having moved to France, he first played for FC Villepinte in Villepinte in the Paris metropolitan area and then moved to the north of France to join the football school of RC Lens. He joined the first-team squad there for the 2009/10 season. His professional debut came on 13 January 2009 in a Ligue 2 match against

. He transferred to FC Toulouse in 2012.

In the 2014/15 season, Aurier switched to Paris Saint-Germain on loan. With the club, he won the Trophée des Champions on 2 August 2014 in a 2-0 win over EA Guingamp, but he did not feature himself. In late April 2015, Paris SG exercised an option to buy and signed Aurier until 30 June 2019. That season, he won the league, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue with the club.

He scored in his first Champions League appearance on 30 September 2015 in a 3-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk to make it 1-0. Having signed a rival right-back with Dani Alves for the PSG, Aurier transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 31 August 2017. He received a contract until 30 June 2022. At the beginning of October 2021, he transferred to Villarreal FC.

Aurier debuted for the Ivorian national team on 8 June 2013 in a 3-0 win over the Gambia. He was named in his country's squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and featured in all three group matches against

(2-1), Colombia (1-2) and Greece (1-2), but failed to prevent his team's elimination. He was called up to the Ivorian squad for the 2015 African Cup of Nations by coach Hervé Renard.

On that occasion, he appeared in all six of his team's matches and won the tournament on 8 February 2015 by defeating Ghana on penalties in the final. Aurier scored his first international goal in a 3-0 friendly win over Uganda on 11 January 2017.

Youcef Atal

The first Algerian footballer to appear on our list of most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is Youcef Atal, who has a market value of 15 million euros. Just like his other teammate in this list, Atal played all three group stage matches of the Algerian national team in the 2022 African Cup of Nations, but the team was not able to make it past the group stage.

Following his football training with Algerian clubs CR Belouizdad, JS Kabylie, USM Algiers and Paradou AC, he joined the second division side of the latter in November 2015. He made 46 league appearances in a year and a half there, in which he scored five goals. In 2017, he was successfully promoted to the first division with the club. He joined KV Kortrijk in the Belgian Pro League for the 2017/18 season in a one-year loan deal.

Throughout the season, he sustained various injuries and it was not until 15 October 2017 (matchday 10) that he debuted in a 3-1 defeat away against Standard Liege. Despite playing only ten games for KV Kortrijk that season, the club exercised the option to buy Atal on a permanent deal. Only two weeks after joining Kortrijk, he was signed by the French first division side OGC Nice for a transfer fee of €3 million.

His debut for the Aiglons was on 11 August in a 1-0 home defeat to Stade Reims. His first goal came on 10 November (matchday 13) in a 1-0 win away to Olympique Nîmes. Over the course of the 2018/19 season, the skilled full-back was also increasingly used as a winger. In this position, he scored all three of his side's goals in their 3-0 home win over EA Guingamp on 28 April 2019.

Youcef Atal scored six goals in 29 league games this season. He sustained a serious knee injury in the 4-1 home win over FC Metz on 7 December 2019 (matchday 17), which ended the 2019/20 season for him after making 13 league appearances and scoring one goal.

His first game for Algeria was on 6 June 2017, against

(2-1 win). He scored his first goal for the national team on 18 November 2018 in an Africa Cup of Nations 2019 qualifier against Togo (1-4 victory). He was picked to participate in the 2019 African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt. During this competition, he played four matches. He suffered an injury against

in the quarter-finals and was ruled out for the rest of the competition. He won the African Cup of Nations with the Algerian national team on 19 July 2019.

Stephane Singo

Another Ivorian footballer in our list of most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is Stephane Singo, who plays as a right-back for Ivory Coast and has a market value of 15 million euros at the moment of writing this article, but during the tournament, his market value was 12 million euros.

He was brought up in the youth academy of As Denguelè in Ivory Coast, where he began his career as a central defender. Singo was signed by Torino in January 2019. Throughout his time in the Italian youth leagues, coach Coppitelli made him play as a full-back, which would later become his natural role. His professional debut was made on 1 August 2019 in the Europa League match against Debrecen which was won 4-1 in Hungary.

Stephane Singo first played in Serie A on 27 June 2020 against

in the 4-2 defeat at the Sardegna Arena. He played his first game as a regular starter in the second-to-last league match, against Roma at home, and scored a goal. His second goal came on 3 January 2021 against Parma at the end of a wonderful counter-attack. He found his third goal in the Granata shirt on 30 October 2021, in the 3-0 victory against Sampdoria.

He played his first match with the Ivorian under-20 national team in the 2019 Under-20 African Cup of Nations qualifier in 2018. He was called up to the senior national team for the first time on 20 May 2021, and made his debut with them on 5 June in the friendly match won 2-1 against Burkina Faso.

Stephane Singo was called up for the Olympic national team on 2 July 2021 to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, with whom he made his debut on 22 July in the victory against

. Subsequently, he also played in the matches against Brazil and Germany. Stephane Singo played on 31 July in the quarter-finals of the Olympic tournament against Spain, where they lost 5-2 after extra time.

Ramy Bensebaini

Ramy is the second Algerian football player to secure a place for himself in the list of most valuable defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a market value of 22 million euros. A key player of the Algerian national team, he played in all three group stage matches for his country as a left-back. However, the team's performances were disappointing and they were knocked out in the group stage.

Bensebaini commenced his career in Algeria with Paradou SC. He then joined the youth team in 2008 and debuted in professional football in 2013. He went on to trial at FC Porto and Arsenal in summer 2013. It was during the 2014/15 season that he was loaned by Paradou SC to Lierse SK. He made his debut in the Belgian First Division on 3 August 2014, against Club Brugge.

Bensebaini had plenty of opportunities to play that season, but was unable to prevent Lierse from relegating to the Second Division at the end of the season. Subsequently Bensebaini managed to secure a transfer to the Ligue 1 with Montpellier HSC hiring the Algerian for one season with an option to buy from Paradou AC.

The Algerian got a lot of playing time with Montpellier, but towards the end of the season, the club chose not to exercise its option to buy. Subsequently, Stade Rennes jumped on the bandwagon and signed the Algerian for good.

At Rennes, Bensebaini was a regular under his first coach Christian Gourcuff and his successors Sabri Lamouchi and Julien Stéphan. He played his third season in the Rennes shirt, and it was the most successful: Bensebaini made it to the Europa League finals with Rennes and won the Coupe de France with the club. Since 2019, the Algerian defender has been playing for the German side Borussia Mönchengladbach.

In 2015, Bensebaini was first called up to the Algerian football team. Nevertheless, he did not play his first official international match until 7 January 2017. In a friendly against Mauritania, he came on as a substitute for Hicham Belkaroui at half-time.

One month later, national coach Georges Leekens picked him up in the 23-man selection for the 2017 African Championship. On this tournament Bensebaini played in the group matches against Zimbabwe and Tunisia. He went on to win the 2019 African Cup of Nations with Algeria two years later. At this event, he played all but the third group match.

Odilon Kossounou

Kossounou is another Ivorian footballer to appear in our list of most valuable defenders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a total market value of 23 million euros, which makes him one of the most valuable African players in the defensive line. At the tournament, Odilon appeared in two matches for the national team, first a last-minute substitute appearance against Sierra Leone and in the next match, he played the whole match against Algeria. In the first group stage and round of 16 match, he was sitting on the bench.

Kossounou, who played for the youth team ASEC Mimosas and has a long history of producing many important Ivorian footballers, was spotted by Swedish side Hammarby IF following his excellent performance in the 2016 Swedish Gothia Cup. After several joint training sessions and successful trials in the following years, the Stockholm-based club signed the 18-year-old in January 2019.

While often playing in the midfield at the youth level, Kossounou was considered primarily as a full-back in the senior team. In April, he made his debut in the Swedish first division against IF Elfsborg, immediately starting. Because of his excellent play, Belgian club Club Brugge made a record bid for the defender at the Swedish level in the summer of 2019, after just nine league games, a bid the club could not refuse.

Kossounou debuted for his new team in September 2019, in a Belgian Cup match against Francs Borains. He also made his Belgian first division debut a month later against Mouscron, and played his first European match in November against no less an opponent than Mbappe's PSG, who were eventual finalists. Kossounou's first season was a mixed bag, with his opportunities to play coming in the middle of defence or on the right side of the defence. The season, which ended in March due to the coronavirus epidemic, saw Brugge finish the season as champions.

The next season, the still 19-year-old became a key man in the team, and his superb play in the defensive axis helped Brugge defend their title. He scored his first league goal in January 2021, netting against Beerschot. Alongside his national campaign, he finished third in his group in the UEFA Champions League, and then was eliminated from the UEFA Europa League in the last 32 against Dinamo Kyiv. His excellent performances led to his name being considered by several major clubs in the summer of 2021, and he was finally signed by German club Bayer Leverkusen for €23 million.

Leverkusen, who lost almost all of their players by the end of the summer, including retiring legend Sven Bender or injured Edmond Tapsoba, instantly counted on the young Kossounou in their starting line-up. In his first match for his new club against Lokomotive Leipzig in the first round of the German Cup - he assisted the second goal. Kossounou made his senior debut for Ivory Coast on 8 October 2020 in a friendly against Belgium. So far, he has played a total of 13 matches for the Ivory Coast national football team.

Abdou Diallo

The first Senegalese footballer to appear in our list of most valuable defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is Abdou Diallo, who managed to win the tournament with his teammates. He had a market value of 25 million euros during the tournament which was held in Cameroon.

From their first group stage match against Zimbabwe all the way to the final against Egypt, Abdou Diallo played every minute of the tournament and was one of the best performers of the Senegalese national team. He even scored a goal in the seminal match against Burkina Faso. According to many experts, he was also amongst the top 10 best players in Africa 2021.

Raised in Monaco's youth academy, he debuted in Ligue 1 on 14 December 2014 in the 1-0 win over Olympique Marseille. On that occasion he replaced Bernardo Silva in the second half. He was transferred on loan to the Belgian side Zulte Waregem on 7 June 2015. He debuted in the Pro League on 25 July, starting in the 3-1 win over Lokeren. During his season in Belgium, he scored three times, twice in the regular season and once in the playoffs.

Upon his return to Monaco, he won the French league, which the Monaco club had not won for 17 years. He collected 5 appearances in Ligue 1 and made his Champions League debut, playing as a starter in the last match of the group stage, which was lost 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen.

His move to Mainz was reported on 14 July 2017 for 5 million. He made his Bundesliga debut on 19 August in the home defeat against Hannover 96 (0-1). His first goal in the German league came on 9 September, when his header from Öztunalı's free-kick overtook Bayer Leverkusen (3-1). During the season he scored two more times, on 4 November in the draw against Borussia M'gladbach (1-1) and on 19 December in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 against Stuttgart (3-1).

He was sold to Borussia Dortmund on 26 June 2018 for 28 million. His first and only goal in a Dortmund shirt was on 14 September in the 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, unlocking the result. He was acquired by Paris Saint-Germain on 16 July 2019, and signed a five-year contract with them. The move was worth 32 million.

Having progressed through the French youth teams from under-16 to under-21, he decided to represent Senegal, the national team of his origins, in 2021. He debuted with the Senegalese national team on 26 March 2021 in a 0-0 draw against Congo Rep. The following 1 September he scored his first goal for Senegal in a 2-0 win against Togo.

Edmond Tapsoba

With a total market value of 40 million euros, which makes him one of the most valuable African players, the 23 years old Edmond Tapsoba is the third most valuable 2021 African Cup of Nations defender. With the exception of their first group stage match against Cameroon, Tapsoba played in all of his team's matching in the tournament up to the third-place playoff, without losing a minute, establishing himself as one of the best players at AFCON 2022. In the end, they finished in 4th place at the 2022 African Cup of Nations.

Tapsoba, born in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, was signed by Salitas FC when he was 15, and a year later he joined another club in the capital, US Ouagadougou. In the summer of 2017, Tapsoba was 18 when he moved to Europe, joining the youth team of Portuguese club Leixőes SC, where he was discovered by first division side Vitória Guimarães.

Tapsoba began his European playing career in the second division B team of Northern Portugal. Having performed poorly throughout the season and finishing last, he stood out in the team, scoring 7 goals for a defender. His performance opened the way for him to the first team. In August 2019, he made his debut in the Portuguese first division against Boavista - a match in which he immediately gave an assist.

During the autumn season, he was a regular in the starting line-up, netting 5 goals in 16 games. In addition to a fine league campaign, Guimarães was also playing in the Europa League, where Tapsoba scored twice against Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg in the qualifying campaign, and went on to play five of the six group matches - Guimarães ultimately failed to reach the knockout stages.

Tapsoba caught the attention of several top teams thanks to his outstanding performances in the Portuguese league and Europa League. The winning bidder was Bayer Leverkusen of the German top flight, which paid €18 million for the 20-year-old defender. Surprisingly, manager Peter Bosz made him an immediate starter. He made his Bundesliga debut in February 2020 against Borussia Dortmund in a 4-3 win.

Throughout the season, which was delayed by the coronavirus epidemic, he was a regular starter, contributing with a fine game to help his team reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the German Cup final. He featured in the losing final against Bayern Munich. The next season, Leverkusen started surprisingly well, even leading the table in December, before just as unexpectedly collapsing halfway through the season.

He played his senior debut for Burkina Faso in a friendly against Benin in May 2017, but only became a regular in the national eleven in the summer of 2019. So far, he has played a total of 26 games for the Burkina Faso national team.

Kalidou Koulibaly

The second player in our list of most valuable defenders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and also the second Senegalese player in this list in Kalidou Koulibaly, who has a market value of 45 million euros according to Transfermarkt, which makes him one of the most valuable African players. During the 2022 African Cup of Nations, he was one of the key players of his team.

After missing the first two group games due to Covid-19, he played the rest of the matches up to the final and won the tournament and proved himself amongst the best players at AFCON 2022. He was able to help his team become one of the leading sides in the African national teams rankings 2021.

Koulibaly came through the ranks of the youth team of FC Metz in 2010, playing in the Ligue 2 at the time. In two seasons he appeared in over forty league games for the club, which relegated to the Championnat National in 2012. Without going down with the club, Koulibaly eventually joined KRC Genk on 30 June 2012 on a four-season contract. In doing so, he spent the next two seasons playing in the First Division.

His debut for Genk was in a game won at home against Zulte Waregem. He scored his first goal in a game against RSC Anderlecht. In his first year in Belgium, Koulibaly also debuted in the Europa League. At the beginning of 2013, he renewed his contract with the club until mid-2017. Several months later, he won his first trophy with Genk. In the final, the club won the national cup by defeating Cercle Brugge.

Koulibaly signed a contract until mid-2019 with Napoli, who was number three in the Serie A the previous season. Neither team made any statements about the transfer fee. Het Belang van Limburg assumed a sum between eight and ten million euros. With Napoli, Koulibaly went on to play in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League for the first time in his career. During this, Athletic Bilbao prevented him from reaching the final tournament. However, he did win the Super Cup in December 2014 and that season reached the semi-finals of the Europa League with the Italian club.

Born and raised in France by Senegalese parents, Koulibaly was therefore eligible for both nations. Indeed, he played for the France U-20 team from 2011 onwards. Nevertheless, in early September 2015, in spite of the interest of French coach Didier Deschamps, Koulibaly switched federation and started playing for the Senegalese National Team.

His debut for Senegal came on 5 September in a 2-0 win against Namibia. He was called up for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations two years later. Then in May 2018, the defender was named in the squad for the FIFA World Cup held in Russia. He was also part of the national team that ended as runner-up in the 2019 AFCON.

Achraf Hakimi

Having a market value of 70 million euros, Achraf Hakimi is not only the most valuable defender of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but also one of the most expensive defenders in the world of football. He is also one of the top 10 most expensive African footballers.

During the 2022 AFCON in Cameroon, Achraf also proved to be one of the best players of his national, appearing in all five matches of his team without losing a single minute. He also scored two goals in the tournament against Gabon and Malawi and provided an assist against Egypt, establishing himself as one of the best players at AFCON 2022. According to many experts, he was also amongst the top 10 best players in Africa 2021.

Hakimi started his football training with the Colonia Ofiegevi team in the 2005-2006 season. He joined Real Madrid's football academy at the age of eight. He was transferred to the then third-league reserves in 2016. He was instead included in the first-team squad after a pre-season, during which he appeared, among other things, on a tour of the United States. An injury to Dani Carvajal on 1 October 2017 earned him the opportunity to make his Primera División debut and he played in the 2-0 win against Espanyol.

However, on 11 July 2018, Real decided to send Hakimi on a 2-year loan to Borussia Dortmund, because of the high competition on the right side of defence in the form of Dani Carvajal. He was able to develop his skills more at Borussia, perfectly fitting into the team's style of play by being given the chance to play on the right flank; this helped him record a high number of assists in the season and also contributed to the number of situations they created.

In Borussia's 3-3 draw against RB Leipzig on 17 December 2019, Hakimi's speed of 36.2 km/h was measured during one of his sprints, which made him the fastest Bundesliga footballer since the measurement technology began to be used in the league. Achraf made a total of 73 appearances for Dortmund and scored 12 goals.

He joined Italy's Inter Milan on 1 September 2020 for €40 million and signed a 5-year contract with the Italian team. During his only season with the Milanese club, Achraf Hakimi played a total of 45 games and went on to score 7 goals, all of them in Serie A. Hakimi moved to France's Paris Saint-Germain on 26 July 2021 for €70 million, with a contract until 30 June 2026. Since his arrival in the capital of France, Achraf Hakimi has played a total of 31 matches for Paris Saint-Germain and scored 3 goals.

On the international scene, Achraf plays for his parents' native Morocco. He debuted for Morocco on 11 October 2016 in a match against Canada. His first international goal came in a World Cup qualifier against Mali in September 2017, and he featured full-time in all three of Morocco's matches at the 2018 World Cup.

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