Morocco’s Hakimi Joins Dortmund on Loan

Real Madrid and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi has joined German outfit Borussia Dortmund on a two-year loan deal.

The versatile right-back who played as a centre-back in Morocco’s back-three at the World Cup, is brought in to provide cover for aging Lukasz Piszczek at the Siduna Park.

He showed limitless potential in Russia and will be hoping to continue learning from the experienced Polish defender.

The 19-year-old began his career at the famed Real Madrid academy ‘La Fabrica’ at the age of eight and made impressive progress throughout the various age categories. After a season with Real Madrid’s Castilla, he broke into the first team fold under Zinedine Zidane who invited him as a back-up for Dani Carvajal.

He was handed his debut in the 2-0 win against Espanyol in October last year and got off the mark a few months later, becoming the first Moroccan to score for Real Madrid.

The Madrid-born made an impressive 17 appearances across all competitions under Zidane in his first season, registering two goals and an assist. He would go on to play  every single minute for Morocco at the World Cup where he faced off against Spain and Portugal in the opening two matches.

Hakimi caught the eye on both occasions earning the respect of Madrid’s new Coach Julen Lopetegui and president Florentino Perez who consider him one for the future.

BVB sporting Micheal Zorc director was full of praises for the young full back saying, “he’s surely a great addition to the team.”

“Achraf Hakimi is a very young dynamic full-back, who has played for Real Madrid and the Moroccan National team,” Zorc added.

Both clubs confirmed the two-year loan deal for an undisclosed fee with no purchase option throughout the spell.

The Atlas Lion follows in the footsteps of Dani Carvajal’s who morphed into the finished article after a brief a loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen.

Dortmund snatch the ace having shoved aside competitions from Napoli, Sevilla, and Monaco who were all keeping tabs on the young defender’s progress.

Image courtesy of Borussia Dortmund