In the middle of “Mbappé Gate”, the image logically went somewhat unnoticed on March 1 on the lawn of the Louis-II stadium in Monaco.
The world champion then completely monopolized the attention of an audience stunned by his early replacement and his mini-lap of honor on the athletic track of the venue.
At the same time, however, an unprecedented scene was played out and resulted directly from this event since Achraf Hakimi inherited the captain's armband previously worn by his friend throughout the second period.
Never since his arrival at PSG in 2021 has the Moroccan defender (25 years old) been given such responsibility.
Last Sunday again, against Reims, between the exit of Danilo Pereira and the entry of Mbappé, it was to him that the small piece of fabric displayed on his left bicep belonged.
If an important combination of circumstances led him to become captain during these two meetings, this sequence still testifies to the weight gained by the Moroccan within the Parisian squad this season.
Despite his young age, the right-back is now seen as a full-fledged member of a group where he does not hesitate to speak more and more in both Spanish and French and to exude his good humor.
A man of few words in his daily life, he asserted himself in this team which saw him grow and free himself over time.
A new status in line with his time spent in the capital.
While he will complete his third season in the Parisian jersey in the coming weeks, Hakimi will become at the end of this exercise one of the club's oldest recruits with Marquinhos and Danilo.
“His future is not a subject of discussion”
In this PSG in full reconstruction and which no longer hesitates to offload certain major players (Sergio Ramos, Messi, Neymar, Verratti, etc.), the Moroccan appears in the category of elements from which the management does not wish to separate .
At 25 years old, the former Inter Milan defender still embodies the future in the eyes of his leaders who ardently desire to extend their common adventure.
With Hakimi's lease expiring in 2026, PSG has been working for several weeks on a contract extension for two or three additional seasons.
The capital club still has time ahead of it, but discussions have already taken place between the different parties to address the subject and present the outlines of this operation, which demonstrates the real desire of management to secure a player still in demand. by the biggest stables in Europe.
In recent weeks, several rumors have notably reported the Moroccan's departure next summer or the following to Real Madrid, his training club... which his great friend Kylian Mbappé will most likely join next summer.
Hakimi was born in the Spanish capital, grew up there and continues to go there several times a year to see close friends or family.
The string is obviously big, but for all that, his future lies, for the moment, still at PSG.
The player did not let the Parisian leaders know that he wanted to leave at the end of the season and those around him point out that he still has two years of contract in order to rule out these rumors.
“Today, its future is not a subject of discussion.
It’s just rumors,” explains a relative.
No new meeting has yet been set but Luis Campos's stated desire to extend his player could push the various players to meet soon.
In this case, the presence of Luis Enrique on the bench could also be important, the Moroccan not hiding his happiness to evolve under the orders of a high level coach, which he has not always made known since his arrival.
“He was very consistent.
He is a player with unique potential in attack, recognized the Parisian coach at a press conference this Saturday, despite the player's drop in performance.
I try not to lionize the best but in Hakimi's case, he is having a very high level season so far.
I'm very happy, he's an energetic player.
Few right-backs play like him.
» And PSG hopes to benefit from it for a few more years.