Achraf Hakimi: My heart is divided between Real Madrid and Dortmund

Achraf Hakimi says he is torn between playing for Borussia Dortmund and his parent club Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old Morocco international has spent the last two seasons at BVB on loan from Real and is expected to return in the summer.

Hakimi’s present and future: Five key things to know…

• Hakimi came through Real Madrid’s youth set-up and would go on to make 17 senior appearances under Zinedine Zidane.
• Strong competition at full-back saw the Moroccon join Borussia Dortmund on loan in the summer of 2018.
• He’s so far played 54 times for BVB, registering nine goals and creating a further 13.
• Hakimi’s loan deal expires this summer with his present Real contract ending in 2022.
• The full-back says his heart is torn between the two clubs he’s represented to date.

He’s been near ever-present under Lucien Favre having played 54 games, registering nine goals and creating a further 13 for his teammates, all while being nominally utilised at full-back.

A promising defender, he’d feature 17 times with Zinedine Zidane at the helm of Los Blancos, before strong competition saw him leave in order to accelerate his development.

Although nominally a right-back Hakimi has equally been used at left-back. With current Real pairing Dani Carvajal and Marcelo not getting any younger, there is a strong argument for increased playing time in the Spanish capital.

However, the record 13-time European Cup winners are not exactly short on alternatives, which has placed Hakimi in a dilemma. He obviously wants to make the grade at the Bernabeu but Dortmund has become home.

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“My heart is divided between Madrid and Dortmund,” he told Ruhr Nachrichten.

“It is still six months until the summer, there are still a lot of games. What I can say is that right now I am very happy to be at Borussia Dortmund. I feel very comfortable.”

Despite professing his love for Dortmund, Hakimi has stated in the past that a move back to Spain is something he cannot rule out.

“I’m not going to lie, I’d love to be a success there, of course,” he told AS last October.

“I grew up at Madrid, it’s the club I call home and I’d like to keep on growing as a player there, but if it isn’t to be I’ll look to be a success somewhere else.

“Right now, I’m only focusing on taking each game as it comes and performing to the best of my ability. Next summer’s still a little way off and we’ll just have to see what happens.”