Achraf Hakimi - Hakimi: The First Finisher Fullback?
AH
Exceptional EfficiencyAll competitions - J0vs N. Mendes, J. Kounde, A. Baldé, Season 2024/25

Achraf Hakimi: Hakimi: The First Finisher Fullback?

May 31, 2025Achraff ADJILEYE
11.85
gC
27
G+A

Is Achraf Hakimi redefining what it means to be a fullback — or is he simply the product of a system that turns defenders into strikers?

At first glance, Hakimi’s numbers look like those of a forward: constant attacking presence, double-digit G/A, and a high volume of finishes from inside the box.
But digging deeper into Goal Contribution (gC) data reveals a fascinating paradox.

The Hidden Side of Contribution

To understand how fullbacks really influence goal-scoring plays, we looked beyond goals and assists — those metrics that only reward the last touch.

Instead, we measured the share of goal actions where a player contributed meaningfully without recording a goal or assist:

(Actions with gC > 0 – Goals/Assists) ÷ Actions with gC > 0

In other words, how often a player creates or supports a goal action without getting visible credit.

The Results: PSG vs Barça Fullbacks

Here’s what the numbers tell us across the two most attacking teams in Europe last season:

Player and % of Non-Finishing Contributions

Achraf Hakimi: 32.5%

Nuno Mendes: 74.1%

Jules Koundé: 64.5%

Alejandro Baldé: 59.1%

Percentage of goal actions without goals/assists
Percentage of goal actions without goals/assists

Hakimi: Outlier or Outcome?

Hakimi’s 32.5% makes him a statistical outlier — far more often than his peers, his goal involvements end with him.
The others (Mendes, Koundé, Baldé) tend to participate earlier in the play, contributing passes, carries, or eliminations before the final touch.

This raises the real question:

Is Hakimi an extraordinary finisher for a fullback?
Or is PSG’s system intentionally designed to funnel him into high-value finishing zones?

Achraf Hakimi celebrating a goal
Achraf Hakimi celebrating a goal

System or Skill?

The answer, most likely, lies in between. To truly confirm the cause, we’ll need positional and tracking data of goal-scoring sequences — especially to analyze where and how Hakimi receives the ball before his finishing actions.

Redefining the Role

Whether by design or by instinct, Hakimi might be pioneering a new hybrid:

the “finisher fullback” — a defender who completes the play rather than starts it.

In this modern football world, Hakimi’s profile challenges the conventions.
He may not just be playing the role — he might be inventing it.