Player Profile: Achraf Hakimi

Hello everyone! Time for some profiling 🕵🏽‍♂️

Team: Borussia Dortmund 

Position: Defender

Age: 21

Height: 179 cm

Preferred foot: Right

Nationality: Morocco

Competition Stats

Fouls Committed: 9

Goals: 4

Assists: 0

Minutes played: 710

Games played: 8

[stats courtesy of uefa.com]

Last week I did a goalkeeper, today's focus is a defender. This young man is a loanee from Real Madrid going about his duties in Germany. He's made the series not really for being the best tackler or blocker, but for scoring the most goals as a defender. He plays as a right back, just to clarify 🔍😮. He is, able to play slightly further forward from that position, so it would make sense given the stats he has. Unfortunately, like Erling Haaland, Hakimi and Dortmund were eliminated from the competition by PSG in the round of 16, so we will not see any more neat performances from him.

Notable Performances

VS Slavia Prague, Matchday 2

Is this guy really a defender? 🤨, because after watching his performance in this game, you wouldn't think he is one at all 😂. Hakimi was the headline for this game. Two scorching runs, and two polished finishes from him won Dortmund the game. He was somehow bleeding from his hand after scoring his second goal, not sure how that happened 😶. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to watch him score both his goals 🍿🔥. I mean, the goals really speak for themselves.

Speed ✔ Finishing✔ 

Click here to watch the first goal & Click here to watch the second goal

VS Inter Milan, Matchday 4

Well, with this game, Dortmund and Hakimi looked down and out in the first half. Even I thought the same. Inter scored 2 against just like they had from Matchday 3. However, they managed to fight back and who else but Achraf Hakimi to get them to fight back. Hakimi's first goal wasn't a powerfully struck shot, but he put enough behind the ball to get it past the Inter goalkeeper and start Dortmund's comeback. Wait, the Inter goalkeeper didn't even try saving that ball 😳😂Wow. Hakimi grabbed his second goal in quite classy fashion. He darts past one of Inter's players, passes to Jadon Sancho, Sancho waits a bit and finally passes back to Hakimi who has already made his run and slides the ball into the back of the net, and completing Borussia Dortmund's comeback 🦅

Inter Mlian were left stunned

Click here to watch the first goal & Click here to watch the second goal

VS Paris-Saint Germain, Round of 16 1st leg

Hakimi was involved in the first goal of this game because of the cross he made which found Haaland. The down side, was that it didn't go down as an assist because the ball was shot by another Dortmund player, touched a PSG player, and then by Haaland as he scored the goal. Good fortunate team goal? 😅. I've watched this game so much now 😵.

Click here to watch Hakimi's involvement

Final Thoughts

Ahh man, already? 🥺 but I must finish everything now 😂. Achraf Hakimi, you're one speed-bolt of a defender⚡ Hakimi proved extra-important for his Borussia Dortmund team. If I'm not mistaken, he was actually the team's top goalscorer for this Champions League season, and he's a defender! Truly, with enough nurturing and mentorship, I can see Hakimi become the next best attacker, not defender, in world football. Similar to how Gareth Bale rose to fame. I really enjoyed his performances and I can't wait to see him running again.