Rabat: Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan national team defender, won the African Footballer of the Year award, while Barcelona are preparing to open the newly renovated Camp Nou to meet Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League.

According to Thai News Agency, Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan defender of Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1, was named Africa’s Footballer of the Year for 2025 at an awards ceremony held in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday. Hakimi beat out Liverpool’s Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah and Galatasaray’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen after his outstanding performances helped PSG win five trophies last season, including their first ever UEFA Champions League title.

Hakimi was instrumental in PSG’s success, scoring the first goal before helping PSG crush Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. His contributions on the field have been widely recognized, earning him the prestigious award.

In other football news, UEFA has allowed Barcelona to return to the renovated Camp Nou stadium for their next Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt on December 9th in the league phase. Around 45,000 tickets are expected to be available to fans, marking a significant return to the iconic venue.

Barcelona had previously announced that Saturday’s La Liga game against Athletic Bilbao would be the first to be played at Camp Nou since the stadium’s renovation in June 2023. The renovation aims to increase the capacity of Europe’s largest football stadium from 99,000 to 105,000, with the Bilbao game set to see around 45,401 spectators.