Achraf Hakimi-Kylian Mbappé friendship endures amid case before World Cup reunion | OneFootball

Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappé, close friends, face each other on Thursday at 22:00 in France in a World Cup quarter-final, with Hakimi involved in a rape case in which Mbappé has testified. According to L'Équipe, their relationship has withstood off-field strain as football brings them together again.

Their friendship spans about five years and has played out on and off the pitch, including France’s 2-0 win over Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar. In April, on Aurélien Tchouaméni’s show The Bridge, Mbappé joked that they chatted throughout and even planned holidays while play flowed elsewhere.

Since then the France captain has joined Real Madrid in 2024, and they met again as opponents in the Club World Cup semi-final, a tie that finished 0-4 on 9 July 2025. Both are 27, and Thursday will be their fifth meeting.

Mbappé’s Spanish eased Hakimi’s arrival in the PSG dressing room and drew him into his friendship circle. Former goalkeeper Alexandre Letellier recalled they seemed to know each other already and quickly became inseparable.

Hakimi has been accused of rape since 2023 and has lodged a cassation appeal after the 19 June confirmation on appeal of his referral to the departmental criminal court. Mbappé told police he aimed to be supportive, describing Hakimi as respectful with women even when drunk, while also relaying his friend’s account of mutual intimate touching.

In May, a réquisitoire in Nanterre highlighted a contradiction with Hakimi’s version limited to three kisses. Three years after his first testimony, Mbappé submitted a written statement clarifying that his phrase did not refer to touching the genitals, and he is due to be heard as a witness if a trial takes place.

Buoyed by Moroccan supporters and his national team, Hakimi appears unruffled and says their friendship does not apply on the pitch. After the 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday, Mbappé smiled on M6 that he thought Hakimi had already been in touch.

Source: L'Équipe