The Genius of Achraf Hakimi
One of the fastest rising talents in world football right now is Borussia Dortmund’s on loan star, Achraf Hakimi. Hakimi is a quick, dynamic and powerful footballer, who due to his high versatility and flexibility can be deployed in a number of positions. He most commonly is deployed as a right back or a right wing back at Borussia Dortmund.
In this article, I will try to take a deeper look into the journey he took to get where he is today and what makes him one of the most promising young talents in world football today.
Achraf Hakimi Mouh was born in Madrid, Spain on the 4th of November 1998 to parents of Moroccan descent. Achraf belonged to a humble and hard working family. Achraf’s father worked as a street vendor and his mother as a home cleaner to make ends meet.
Hakimi started off his training at his local club, Deportivo Colonia de Ofigevi. Hakimi prioritized football over his academics (which paid off in spades for him). His parents did not embrace Achraf’s idea of giving everything to become a professional footballer immediately but with time, they made peace with this idea.
Achraf, when he was playing for his local club, Deportivo Colonia de Ofigevi impressed. This led to eyeballs on him from Real Madrid’s scouts. Hakimi was just 8 years old when he first joined Real Madrid’s youth setup. Achraf impressed at every level he played at and his promotion to Real Madrid’s first team happened in the year 2016, where he was seen as a backup to Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernandez.
Achraf wore the number 19 jersey for Real Madrid and even scored twice for Los Blancos in the 2017/2018 season of La Liga in 9 appearances. Not only that but he also made 2 appearances for Los Blancos in the Champions League, which Real Madrid went on to lift for the third consecutive time, which makes him the first Moroccan player to win the Champions League.
On the 11th of July, 2018 the German giants Borussia Dortmund signed Achraf Hakimi on loan for 2 seasons and Achraf Hakimi has proved this decision to be a very savvy and beneficial one so far.
What makes Achraf Hakimi one of the most promising young talents in football?
The combination of pace and power is a deadly weapon in modern football which most managers desire to have in the players they sign. Achraf Hakimi is a not only a pacey and powerful player but he is also a very technically sound player. Achraf is a tireless runner who gives his all for his team in every game.
Achraf trained as a winger but due to his physical presence, he can also be deployed as a right back or right wing back, the kind of versatility football managers crave. He is fully capable of playing accurate long balls across the pitch, or making long sprints to the opponents box and then making an accurate cutback for a simple tap in.
In the 2018/2019 season of Bundesliga, Hakimi played 21 games for Borussia Dortmund, started 19 of these and averaged 83 minutes a game. He scored 2 goals and provided 4 assists. Besides these attacking numbers, Hakimi also averaged 1.4 interceptions per game, 1.6 tackles per game, committed 0 penalties and had just 1 error leading to goal. He further provided a total of 3 assists in 5 games for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. He averaged a decent SofaScore rating of 6.94 in Bundesliga and SofaScore rating of 6.86 in Champions League for Borussia Dortmund in the 2018/2019 campaign.
The second campaign of Hakimi with the German giants however, is far more impressive. He has played 27 matches in the Bundesliga so far, started 24 of these and averaged 82 minutes a game. He has scored 4 goals, and provided an impressive 10 assists in the Bundesliga alone and averages a 7.09 SofaScore rating. He has also played 8 games in the Champions League and scored 4 goals, and averages an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.55. His stats for winning possession back have also increased significantly from his first season. He has committed 0 penalties and has 0 errors leading to goals in the Bundesliga.
Perhaps, the 2 main competitors of Achraf Hakimi are Trent-Alexander Arnold of Liverpool and Daniel Carvajal, the current right back of his parent club, Real Madrid and his future competitor for the right back birth.
In terms of overall summary, there is very little separating Achraf Hakimi and Trent-Alexander Arnold. Both have extremely similar numbers and pretty similar playing styles, with both full backs enjoying venturing forward and boasting significantly better attacking numbers than defensive numbers. However when you compare Achraf Hakimi to Daniel Carvajal of Real Madrid, you start to see the difference in styles and the strengths and weaknesses of Hakimi.
Achraf has significantly better attacking numbers compared to Carvajal. In 2,225 minutes of Bundesliga action for Hakimi, he has 4 goals and 10 assists compared to Carvajal’s 1 goal and 5 assists in 1,980 minutes of La Liga football. Hakimi also averages a much superior SpG (shots per game) to Carvajal.
However, it is when you compare their defensive actions, you realise there’s much room for improvement in Hakimi’s game and why Zidane would probably still prefer Carvajal for his defensive solidity to Hakimi.
However, there is plenty of time for Hakimi to work on the defensive side of his game and to expand upon his attacking game and become a complete football player.
If Hakimi’s career pans out the way it is supposed to, he will be one of the most complete fullbacks in the years to come and has the potential to be one of the bests ever in his position.
