Morocco’s Hakimi in confident World Cup mood after Champions League record
- Published
Morocco international Achraf Hakimi heads to the World Cup in confident mood after becoming the first player from his country to win the Uefa Champions League.
Real Madrid defender Hakimi, 19, enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Spanish giants and has expressed his joy at becoming a European winner.
"Champions League win is a dream come true," Hakimi, who made two appearances in the tournament this season, said on Twitter. , external
Wrapped in a Moroccan flag, the player also took to Instagram to revel in the historic feat., external
"For all the family sacrifice, it's an unforgettable moment."
Back in December he became only the sixth African to join an illustrious list of Real Madrid scorers, alongside Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Javier Balboa (Equatorial Guinea), Mahamadou Diarra (Mali), Michael Essien (Ghana) and Geremi (Cameroon).
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Cape Verde's Valmiro Lopes Rocha both failed to score for the 13-time European champions in an official match.
Back in October, Achraf made his debut against Espanyol, becoming the first Moroccan to play for Real Madrid and the youngest player in La Liga this season - at 18 years 10 months 27 days.
He also started for Zinedine Zidane's side in this season's home and away Champions League matches against Tottenham Hotspur.
He made 17 appearances in all competitions this season.
Born in Madrid and eligible for Spain, Achraf represented Morocco at youth levels before Atlas Lions manager Herve Renard handed him a senior debut in a 4-0 friendly win against Canada in October 2016.
Achraf made four appearances and scored once in the 6-0 annihilation of Mali as Morocco sealed 2018 World Cup qualification.
He is in the team's final 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.
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