Paris Saint-Germain defender and Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi heads into the 2026 UEFA Champions League final against Arsenal with the opportunity to match Samuel Eto’o’s total of three European Cup crowns. One more title would level Hakimi with Eto’o on that specific measure, a tally that carries particular resonance in discussions of African football history, according to the source text.
Eto’o’s standing is built on more than those three Champions League wins. The Cameroonian’s legacy rests on goals, longevity, multiple African Footballer of the Year honours, two Africa Cup of Nations triumphs, an Olympic gold medal and high-profile spells at Barcelona and Internazionale. Eto’o scored in the 2006 final against Arsenal, earning Man of the Match, found the net again in the 2009 final versus Manchester United, and accepted a tactical transformation under Jose Mourinho in 2010 as part of Inter’s treble-winning side.
The Champions League record is distinctive: Eto’o was the second African to win multiple European Cups (after Geremi Njitap), the first to win consecutive titles, the only African to win three times and, until last year, the only one to lift the trophy with different clubs. No other African player has scored in multiple Champions League finals, the source text notes.
Hakimi has already equalled two of those feats and could match the remaining three with victory on Saturday. The fullback has won more major league titles than Eto’o (six to four), although the source text suggests PSG’s run of domestic dominance may be viewed differently than Eto’o’s league successes with Barcelona and Inter. Hakimi currently has two Champions League winners’ medals to Eto’o’s three and has scored in one final to Eto’o’s two.
The nature of those early medals is relevant. Hakimi’s 2018 winner’s medal with Real Madrid followed two group-stage appearances and he did not make the matchday squad for the final; Eto’o featured three times for Real Madrid in 1999-2000 before being loaned to Mallorca and did not participate in the knockout rounds or receive a medal. Officially both players’ records stand, but the source text argues Eto’o’s titles were formative to his legend while Hakimi’s task is to convert medals into enduring mythology. Fullbacks also occupy a different positional narrative: no fullback has won the Ballon d’Or, though Andreas Brehme, Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini have come close, and continental awards have been won by players such as Cafu and Alphonso Davies.
