For every football club interested in youth development, Hakimi’s trajectory tale should not be dismissed, but rather offers a clue to why promising and talented youngsters of his sort once tipped for greatness needs to be given a chance at their parent club or elsewhere.
It’s so sad that some have inexplicably fallen at the final hurdle of becoming a superstar, these tales shouldn’t be viewed in isolation, but as a lesson and further evidence to how teams interested in solving the puzzle of developing young and talented players.
The dilemma managers face in attempting to bring youngsters from the academy sometimes could be frustrating, few of Real Madrid’s managers both present and past did try in promoting youngsters from the Castilla to give them the platform to showcase their talent, with that Hakimi broke into the Real Madrid team under current manager Zidane Zidane a few seasons ago.
Achraf Hakimi’s Breakthrough
After breaking into the team, he couldn’t lay claim to the right-back position where he could showcase his talent, as such he was loaned out to Borrusia Dortmund, for what loaning out a player is synonymous with, sometimes the loan deal could work and also helped the player in becoming a better player, while on the other hands it could mar the player’s career.
Seeing great players donned the jersey of Real Madrid and their achievements, they’re undoubtedly one of the best football clubs in Spain and even in the world.
The club has seen great and talented footballers graced the Santiago Bernabeu, mostly players signed elsewhere to form the fulcrum of the team. While some of the promoted lads from the Castilla have also done brilliantly well in the past and currently.
The same can be said of Federico Valverde though once loaned out, but now one of the players in the team that could take the club to another successful height in the future.
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While some of the players signed for Real Madrid have gone on to become superstars and achieve success, some of them perhaps signed or promoted have faded and shipped out.
However, in the case of Achraf Hakimi, it’s looking like a success story for both parties as his loan outside the four walls of Bernabeu has turned him into a seasoned player, which however has become a big conundrum for the club.
Normally a right back, but could also be used as a makeshift left-back, which came to fore at the World Cup in Russia where he started all the three matches of Morocco.
Hakimi is an aggressive, attacking defender, who broke into Los Blancos first-team squad two seasons ago, scored two goals in 9 league matches, and started both UEFA Champions League group games against Tottenham Hotspur, but as playing time became hard to come by he was loaned out.
Since the Moroccan international left Madrid for more playing time, he has garnered more experience and become a better player, and his first season at the Signal Iduna Park was pretty good, while the second is proving to be twice as good.
Hakimi has been able to thrive under Lucien Favre particularly since the team changed to a new formation system, which enables Hakimi to flourish more as a right wing-back for the German side.
The new change information system has allowed Hakimi to rack up numbers that have made him one of the best-attacking full-backs in Europe, which is an added advantage to his skill set since he left Madrid in 2018 in search of game time which eluded him at Madrid due to the high consistency of Carvajal a great player that was also made through the same loan journey from Leverkusen.
Two years down the line now, Hakimi progress is a testament to how much he has matured and ripe enough to rub shoulders with the revered right-backs in the world both present and past.
As a matter of fact, Opta Sports record on him shows the Moroccan right-back has already surpassed many names in the same position as him, having contributed 19 goals, 9 goals, and 10 assists across the Champions League and Bundesliga this season which equals Maicon’s record in the 2009-10 season under Jose Mourinho, before football went on a compulsory break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest boost to Hakimi’s breathtaking attacking prowess came in some of Dortmund’s matches in the league which just resumed back a few weeks ago, as all of his impressive performances lay claim to how fast he’s progressing as a player.
It’s only Dani Alves record of 22 goals contributed for Barcelona in the 2009-10 campaign that he hasn’t been able to break. And with the way and manner he has picked up from where he stopped before football went on a compulsory break, he’s in a position to potentially break the record and set more.
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With Hakimi set to return to Real Madrid in the summer, he has already placed himself into the heart of every football enthusiast as one of the best in his position in Europe.
There has been a great debate ongoing at the Bernabeu, that should the club cash on him for a big money, or should he be allowed to rival Dani Carvajal who has been a stumbling block for him in Zidane’s team.
According to Hakimi, who has made it clear that he only wants to return to Madrid if only he is to have an important role, and not an understudy to Carvajal who has been a steady and important right-back for Madrid since his return from Germany.
The move has paid dividends having become one of the Bundesliga’s standout players, developed in great versatility on both defensive flanks.
The right-back is contracted to Los Blancos until 2023, and he has expressed a public desire to return as long as he’s valued by the club’s management, as his impressive performances have made his transfer value skyrocket with different clubs around Europe on the radar to snatch him off from Madrid.
As it stands, Real Madrid management is now faced with the dilemma of whether to cash in on the Moroccan.
But with Dortmund’s language, it seems they’re still very much interested in extending the loan deal of Hakimi for another year, his contract situation is clear as he will return to Madrid in the summer.
The dilemma which Real Madrid are now in, do they want to cash on him or make him return back? A big conundrum they must find a solution to, in no time.
