World Cup 2022: Achraf Hakimi's motherly love & road to top with Morocco

The images of Achraf Hakimi embracing his mother after each momentous victory on Morocco's route to the semi-final have gone viral during the World Cup.

They have been some of the many special snapshots that have captured a memorable and historic tournament for Morocco in Qatar - and they still have one last dance.

Head coach Walid Regragui may have described the third-place play-off as the "booby prize", but when Hakimi and Morocco face Croatia on Saturday it is a chance for the African side to create another celebratory evening for fans back home.

Paris St-Germain full-back Hakimi has been at the centre of Morocco's journey, and after their semi-final defeat by France he tweeted the "dream of a team, of a whole country, is over".

But is there one more special night to come from Morocco, who already became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup?

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'The sacrifices led to a positive outcome'

Hakimi's status as one of Morocco's most successful footballers has already been set, and he had his moment in the last 16 in their historic victory over Spain.

After 120 minutes of knife-edge football, and in the midst of a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, Hakimi stepped up with the expectations of a nation on his shoulders to score the winning spot-kick.

He nonchalantly dinked the ball down the middle to spark scenes of wild jubilation - before emotionally celebrating the 3-0 shootout victory with his mother in the stands.

A game before, after victory over Belgium, Hakimi posted "I love you mom" on social media, alongside an image of her kissing him.

That picture was later displayed on a mural in Barcelona after Morocco were knocked out by holders France in the semi-final. His father had watched the game at a fan park in Madrid.

Hakimi has a lot to thank his family for as their heritage has played a large part in his football journey, and why he holds so much love for Morocco.

Despite growing up in Getafe - a suburb of Madrid - Hakimi turned down offers to represent Spain. His mother cleaned houses in the Spanish capital, and his father was a street vendor.

"We come from a modest family that struggled to earn a living," Hakimi said in 2018. "Today I fight every day for them.

"They sacrificed themselves for me. They deprived my brothers of many things for me to succeed."

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Hakimi's father told Maghrib Foot: "When Achraf arrived in Madrid I had to take him every day at 16:30 and I used to come back home at 21:30. I drove 50km to the training camp and 50km back home.

"My message to the parents is to make sacrifices if they want their kids to succeed. I thank God for everything because the sacrifices that I made led to a positive outcome.

"Achraf's success makes me proud, especially when I meet people who tell me that he is a role model for all the Arabs and the Moroccans."

Motherly love could be on display again on Saturday too as Morocco aim to leave Qatar on a high, picking up a third-place medal and confirming their status as one of the greatest African teams.

They come up against Real Madrid's former Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric, but Hakimi and his team-mates have already quietened the likes of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Belgium's Kevin de Bruyne.

Hakimi's bond with Mbappe

Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe have been team-mates at Paris St-Germain since 2021 and are close friends

Hakimi began his football journey in Real Madrid's youth set-up before joining Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and current club Paris St-Germain.

He has become one of the world's best right-backs and has developed a strong friendship with France superstar and PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe.

The 24-year-old swapped shirts with Mbappe after they went head-to-head at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, and hugged on the pitch despite contrasting emotions.

While Mbappe was jubilant in victory, Hakimi's dream of World Cup glory had ended - but his achievements with his national team had brought great pride.

"In Paris you play for the team of the city, but it's not the same to play with the team of your country," Hakimi said before the World Cup.

"Millions and millions of people are going to support you because you play for them. It's like you play for your grandfather and their grandfathers. You play for a lot of people, a lot of Moroccans."

The players prayed in front of supporters and were applauded off the pitch following their semi-final exit, while Hakimi and Mbappe sat together in the tunnel reflecting on their experiences.

It was a scene many did not expect to see in Qatar as Morocco had to overcome higher-ranked European opposition in Spain, Belgium and Portugal to reach the last four.

They will now face a Croatia team - that were beaten finalists in 2018 and who Morocco drew 0-0 with in the group stages in Qatar - hoping for one last moment of glory.

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