"Hakimi and I are not savages"

After an alleged rape which happened over two years ago, the Nanterre prosecutor's office requested that the 26-year-old Achraf Hakimi be charged in criminal court. He is suspected of forcing a young woman to rape him at his home near Paris in February 2023. The Moroccan international and his lawyer have pleaded not guilty from the very first day and it’s up to prosecution to prove the opposite. L’ Equipe published an article regarding the trial and reported a statement from his close friend Kylian Mbappe.

Achraf Hakimi accused of rape

The Real striker is a close friend to Hakimi and both players used to hang out together and stayed in touch after the Frenchman left Paris Saint Germain.

"It's a subject that we regularly discuss and about which we are very vigilant. First of all, we are not savages. And then, we have been prepared for this since the beginning of our careers" said Mbappe, who described himself as ‘very, very close’ friend of Hakimi.

"Achraf Hakimi is respectful with women. Even when he was drunk, I never saw him behave inappropriately (...) Even when I didn't witness certain scenes, I never heard from friends who told me that Achraf had behaved badly or that he had crossed the line," said Mbappe back in 2023. The French international also revealed that Hakimi was devastated when he heard the accusations for the first time.

Hakimi’s wife breaks silence over alleged rape, says she was always 'on the side of the victims’

"That evening, we went to a restaurant. Achraf completely broke down, he cried. He really wasn't well," said Mbappe. Le Parisien first published the news on the night when the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony was in progress, where he was nominated in the best player category and placed in the best XI of the year. As reported when the incident occurred and according to the victim’s statement, she met Hakimi on Instagram on January 16th and on Saturday 25th, the player ordered an Uber car to drive her to his house in Boulogne. At his home, things get out of hand, according to the words of the young woman. The Moroccan international reportedly kissed her on the mouth, lifted her clothes and kissed her breasts despite her protests. She also claims that the sportsman committed digital penetration despite, again, his protests. The young victim would have finally managed to free himself from his attacker by pushing him away with his foot. Released, she would then have sent an SMS to a friend who came to pick her up.