PSG have reportedly chastised Achraf Hakimi for his contentious remarks regarding this year’s Ballon d’Or in a recent interview.
As the football world adjusts to life without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2025 Ballon d’Or has become one of the most open contests in recent years.
Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal made headlines at the end of the season, and now that PSG have won the UEFA Champions League for the first time, the Frenchman is the clear favorite.
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But in his remarks on Saturday, PSG star Hakimi ignored his teammate and made some audacious remarks regarding his own aspirations to win the coveted prize.
“If I have the opportunity to win it, I think I deserve it too,” Hakimi said in an interview with Canal+.
“After the historic season I had – there aren’t many players who have scored in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals – while it’s more difficult as a defender.
“People think I’m a striker or a midfielder, but no, I play in a line of four and I have to think about defending.
“The statistics I had this year are not those of a normal defender. I think that when a defender does that, he deserves more than a striker,” he added.
Le Parisien asserted that PSG did not like Hakimi’s remarks since the club does not appreciate players who put themselves forward and demands that players give credit to the team before themselves.
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi met the players a few days before to this, claiming that each member of the team was deserving of the Ballon d’Or.
“The team is above all. I ask you to remain united. You all deserve the Ballon d’Or,” he said.
The report emphasizes that there are no conflicts in the dressing room or player ego problems, even though Hakimi’s remarks caused a stir at the boardroom level.
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