Asian Players in Europe

Who are the top Arab players playing in the European Leagues?

Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid)

The 19-year-old Moroccan made history last year becoming the first Arabic player ever to play for the famous Los Blancos.

Achraf, or “Arra,” as his team-mates call him played the full 90 minutes against Spurs in his Champions League debut at the Bernabeu and backed it up by also playing the full match in the return fixture at Wembley.

“He had a lot of the ball; he didn’t look out of place at any stage,” El Pais journalist Pablo Perez said after the match.

“He incorporated very well in attack. He didn’t suffer much in defence.”

We’ll have to wait and see if he appears in the knockout stages but it is clear he has a big future ahead of him in Madrid.