The Moroccan superstar dedicated his medal at the Joy Awards to his mother 

Achraf Hakimi was crowned the best Arab sportsman of 2023 during the Joy Awards, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday evening.

Voted in by the public, the Moroccan international member of Paris Saint-German accepted the Best Male Athlete award with his mother by his side.

“I’m really happy to be here with my mum for supporting me. I also want to say thank you to my team, Paris Saint-German, and my country of Morocco,” said the 24-year-old while receiving his award.

In the 2022 FIFA World Cup season, Hakimi scored one of the penalty shoot-outs against Spain in the round of 16, leading his squad to history as the first African and Arab team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Reaching the last eight was an unspeakable feat for the Atlas Lions, who celebrated their 1-0 victory against Portugal on the pitch with their mothers.

Despite invented criticism by western media channels, the Moroccan squads’ celebration with their loved ones captured the world’s earnest attention.

On the club level, Hakimi has stood the pitch with the likes of a star-studded PSG team in the desire for a Champions League title.

Over the weekend, Hakimi participated in a match against Riyadh’s all-star team containing players from Al Hilal and Al Nasser in a goal frenzy-friendly game that witnessed a Ronaldo and Messi face-off.

The Parisians ultimately defeated the all-star team 5-4 at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday, winning the Riyadh Season Cup.