Six footballers to watch at Afcon
The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) looms large with the tournament starting on Saturday when hosts Ivory Coast take on Guinea-Bissau at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara.
As excitement mounts, we take a look at six players likely to grab the headlines as national teams seek to dethrone the Teranga Lions of Senegal.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria): He is without a doubt one of the African shining stars on the world stage as a lethal finisher for his Italian club Napoli and there will be huge pressure on his shoulders from millions of Nigerians as they seek their first title since 2013 in Johannesburg.
The African Footballer of the Year comes into this tournament confidently after he inspired Napoli to Serie A triumph last season where he scored 26 goals to earn a reputation as one of the world’s best strikers.
Sadio Mané (Senegal): Mané was the best player of the last tournament where he missed a penalty and went on to score a decisive one in the shoot-outs as Senegal registered their first Afcon triumph. He comes to the tournament with good form that he has gained at his Saudi club Al-Nassr, where he is teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, and has already scored 12 goals after he joined them from an unhappy spell with German giants Bayern Munich.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt): Egypt have not won Afcon since Salah was a teenager in 2010 as they fell agonisingly short in the 2017 and 2021 finals. He will be out for revenge as the Pharaohs will be looking for a recordextending eighth title. It was agony for him when Egypt lost to Senegal in a penalty shoot-out two years ago when his then Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane converted the winning spotkick. He will be eager to avoid a repeat. His form for Liverpool suggests the 31-year-old will be a danger in Ivory Coast.
Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast): Playing in his second Afcon, Haller is a striker with pedigree hoping for a good outing in front of his home support as the Elephants will be looking for their third continental title.
At 29, the Borussia Dortmund man who beat testicular cancer, has reached maturity and intends to make a big impact at Africa’s biggest football spectacle in front of expectant fans.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria): Like top African players such as Sadio Mané, he moved from Europe to the Saudi Pro League in the summer where he plays now for Al-Ahli alongside former Liverpool and Barcelona attackers Roberto Firmino and Franck Kessie respectively.
With Mahrez leading Algeria on the pitch in Ivory Coast, the Desert Warriors will fancy their chances as they have one of the best teams in the tournament.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco): Achraf Hakimi was a towering figure when Morocco become first African nation to reach the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The Paris SaintGermain right-back will once again be key for the Atlas Lions.
They are faced with a task of translating that success back onto the continental stage as they look to register Morocco’s second Afcon success since 1976.*