The defender for Paris Saint-Germain has been crucial to Morocco’s incredible journey to the quarterfinals, where they will play Portugal on Saturday.The most significant penalty in Moroccan football history, without a doubt. At least for the nation’s supporters, the strain was intolerable. Achraf Hakimi was unfazed by anything.
He calmly took Morocco’s fourth penalty in their shootout against Spain in the round of 16, and he executed a Panenka to give his nation its first-ever trip in the World Cup quarterfinals. Which was just astounding. not only inside the framework of the game. We’re talking about a guy who, according to Antonio Conte, is even worse than he is at taking penalties.
The former Inter coach told reporters, “I see him at the conclusion of training when he pauses to take penalties with the others, and I think that if we were to get to the finish of any competition, everyone would have to die before Hakimi would be permitted to take a penalty!” Of course, Conte adores Hakimi as a player.
He’s always done. The Moroccan defender, who was born in Madrid, was heavily courted by the Italian to join Inter in 2020. Hakimi would perform admirably as a wing-back in Conte’s favoured 3-5-2 shape, something he was fully aware of. He was correct, too. Hakimi wrecked havoc in Serie A during his lone and only season (to date!).
Conte was horrified when Inter was forced to transfer Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain last year. He decided to resign as coach in part because of the move. One of the major members of his title-winning team had been eliminated, and he knew more departures were imminent. Hakim’s initial fee from PSG was €60 million.
A hefty sum of money for a defender, yet everyone saw it was an excellent deal. After his World Cup exploits, how much is Hakimi now worth? Even though the penalty has undoubtedly garnered more attention for Hakimi than anything else, it’s not the only issue. Not the least of which is due to Kylian Mbappe, who has not hesitated to express his admiration for his PSG teammate and closest buddy at Parc des Princes.
The France winger is without a doubt the best performer in the competition thus far going into the quarterfinals. However, Hakimi is maybe its strongest defender. He has shown to be the most well-rounded right-back on display in Qatar, and has played a crucial role in Morocco’s surprising progress to the final eight.
He can attack, and that much is well known. He has always attracted a lot of notice for his incursions into hostile terrain. Even the legendary Ronaldo once dreamed about playing with Hakimi.The Brazilian superstar said to Gazzetta dello Sport, “‘Ronnie, picture you and him. “We would move quite quickly!”
Given his speed, it is not unexpected that Hakimi has played more passes (193) and made more line breaks (60) than any of his Moroccan teammates. His numerous defensive qualities are now also acknowledged. At the 2022 World Cup, no player has made (17 tackles) or won (11) more tackles, and he is fourth in duels won (30).