When Achraf Hakimi stepped up to take Morocco's deciding penalty against Spain at the 2022 World Cup, he panenka'd it down the middle and didn't celebrate. He pointed at the badge instead. Three and a half years later, he walks out at MetLife Stadium on [June 13, 2026](/news/morocco-vs-brazil-world-cup-2026-opener) as Morocco's captain, the most decorated player in the squad, and — by a meaningful margin — the most complete attacking full-back in international football.
## What "most complete full-back" actually means
Hakimi's stat line at PSG is the easiest version of the argument. He has averaged double-digit goal contributions in domestic football every season since 2019, between Borussia Dortmund, Inter and PSG. That is full-back territory only a handful of players have ever occupied — Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves, Trent Alexander-Arnold and, on certain reads, Hakimi.
What separates Hakimi from the rest of the modern list is the **two-way demand**. PSG and Inter are top-tier defensive systems; he is not asked to be a winger who occasionally tracks back. He is asked to defend at international standard and produce in transition at international standard. He does both. The 2022 World Cup semifinal run was, in defensive terms, built on his ability to neutralise the right side of Belgium, Spain and Portugal's attack while still being Morocco's most dangerous outlet on the counter.
## His role under Mohamed Ouahbi
[Mohamed Ouahbi's](/news/mohamed-ouahbi-morocco-head-coach) Morocco operates in a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-3-3, both of which lean on full-back-driven progression. Translation: Hakimi is not a wing-back; he is a right back asked to do wing-back work without sacrificing the structural cover behind him. RotoWire's 2026 tactical preview confirms he is one of three designated set-piece takers (with Abde and Diaz) — Morocco's set-piece infrastructure is essentially built around his delivery.
The bigger evolution since 2022 is leadership. Hakimi was a senior player in Qatar. He is the captain now. The armband matters less for tactical reasons and more for the on-pitch presence in tournament football — the moments where Morocco have to absorb pressure for ten consecutive minutes, where the team needs someone to slow the game down at a throw-in, where a young substitute needs an arm around the shoulder before stepping into the noise of MetLife.
## What he needs to deliver against Brazil
Hakimi against Brazil is the marquee individual battle of the opener. Brazil's structure isolates wide attackers in one-v-one situations and tries to force the opposing full-back into either a foul or a backpedal. Vinicius Junior — assuming he starts — will be on Hakimi's side of the pitch for long stretches.
The version of Hakimi that pins Vinicius back through threat (not just defending him, but threatening to attack the space *behind* him) is the version that gives Morocco the draw or the win. The version that gets caught flat-footed by Brazil's combination play through the half-spaces is the version that loses Morocco the opener. Both versions exist. The Qatar Hakimi was the first version.
## The career arc
Hakimi turned 27 in late 2025. By 2030, when Morocco co-host the World Cup with Spain and Portugal, he will be 31 — likely still elite, definitely the senior face of the federation. The arc of his international career maps almost perfectly onto Morocco's golden era: he debuted at 17, became a starter for the 2022 semifinal team, took the armband for [the AFCON 2025 trophy](/news/morocco-afcon-2025-winners-senegal-stripped), and now leads the side into a World Cup played in the country where his club career began (he was at Real Madrid before Dortmund).
This is not Hakimi's first World Cup. It is the first one he walks into as Morocco's captain. Everything that has happened since the panenka against Spain has been preparation for this.
*See also:* [Mohamed Ouahbi: meet Morocco's new head coach](/news/mohamed-ouahbi-morocco-head-coach) · [Morocco vs Brazil — the opener that decides Group C](/news/morocco-vs-brazil-world-cup-2026-opener) · [Morocco's 2022 World Cup run](/news/morocco-2022-world-cup-run)