Starting for PSG at Villarreal, Achraf Hakimi played his 83rd European match and joined Hakim Ziyech among the most-capped Moroccans on the continental stage. The record is now within reach.
Paris Saint-Germain won on the pitch at Villarreal (0-6) on Tuesday, November 3, and Achraf Hakimi was part of it. The right-back and captain of the Atlas Lions started the Champions League match, according to foot-africa.com. That start tipped a tally over.
Real, Dortmund, Inter then Paris
With this 83rd match in a European competition, Hakimi equals Hakim Ziyech, a Morocco international, at the top of the most-capped Moroccans on the continental stage. He is now one match away from being able to overtake him outright.
That total was built at the highest level in Europe. foot-africa.com breaks it down as 81 Champions League matches and 2 UEFA Super Cup appearances, in the successive colours of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and PSG.
His first appearance in the Champions League dates back to 2017, with Real Madrid.
For his part, Hakim Ziyech reached 83 matches with a very different split: 45 Champions League main-phase matches, 14 in preliminary rounds, 17 in the Europa League, 6 in Europa League qualifying and 1 in the UEFA Super Cup, again according to foot-africa.com.
A hat-trick and a 9/10 rating
On matchday 9 of Ligue 1, Hakimi scored a hat-trick and provided two assists against Le Havre (5-1), a feat unprecedented for a defender in twenty years, according to L’Équipe. He was given a 9/10 rating in the team of the week put together by the same newspaper, a distinction also picked up by Le360.
After that performance, PSG coach Luis Enrique praised his player: “He is the best right-back in the world, but I’m not especially excited to see him score three goals. What I like is to see him constantly at the highest level, always ready. That means a lot for our team,” he told Le360.
The coach thus highlights his full-back’s consistency at the highest level, beyond his goals.
The next European match in his sights
Ziyech’s record is therefore under threat: it now hangs by a single match. As things stand, no overtaking has been confirmed, and the draw at Villarreal remains the latest known figure.
Hakimi is also among the 26 finalists for the World 11.
PSG will play their next fixtures in the Champions League and Ligue 1; the next European match will give Hakimi the chance to take sole possession of the Moroccan summit.