Achraf Hakimi is the rare fullback who can feel like the main character of a World Cup team. Morocco have plenty of quality now — Yassine Bounou, Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui, Brahim Díaz, Sofyan Amrabat, Bilal El Khannouss — but Hakimi is still the player who best captures what makes them dangerous. He is their captain, their emotional leader, and one of the best right backs in the world.
His value also matches that status. Transfermarkt lists Hakimi at $94.1m, which is superstar territory for any defender, let alone a fullback. At PSG, he has become more than just an attacking runner. He is part of a side that won the Champions League in 2025 and is back in the final again in 2026, in a team built more around structure, intensity, and sacrifice than the old star-heavy model. Hakimi fits that perfectly, providing elite athleticism and real tactical reliability.
For Morocco, his role is even bigger. They can play through him on the right, use him as a release valve under pressure, or let him attack space when the game opens up. In a group with Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti, the Brazil match is exactly the kind of stage where Hakimi matters most. Morocco can defend deep and counter, but they are not just a low-block underdog anymore. Hakimi gives them a way to turn defense into attack in one pass, one overlap, or one long sprint into space.
Morocco’s 2022 semifinal run already made this group historic, and Hakimi was one of the faces of that team. Now the question is whether that was a magical one-off or the beginning of Morocco becoming a consistent World Cup threat. With Hakimi in his prime at 27, playing for one of the best clubs in Europe, this is probably the tournament where that answer becomes clear.
That is what makes him so interesting. A lot of fullbacks are supporting pieces. Hakimi is not. If Morocco are going to survive another tough group, scare Brazil, and maybe make another knockout run, he will be at the center of it — defending elite wingers, leading counters, taking set pieces, and giving Morocco the belief that they can still punch above their weight on the biggest stage.