Five goal-scorers to follow at the Africa Cup of Nations
The 31-year-old Liverpool forward is a superstar of the English Premier League and a sporting icon across the Arab world. He is the joint top scorer in the Premier League this season with 14 goals, helping take Liverpool to the top of the table. The danger for Jurgen Klopp's team is that their title challenge could be blown off course as they would lose Salah for four league games if he goes all the way at the AFCON with Egypt.
That though is the aim for Salah, who made his international debut in 2011, a year after Egypt won the last of their record seven Cup of Nations crowns. He played in the teams that lost the AFCON finals in 2017, to Cameroon, and in 2022 to Senegal, and will be hoping this year to take the extra step.
"I am so happy to play in this wonderful African football tournament and my teammates and I are desperate to succeed," Salah, who has scored twice at each of his three previous AFCON tournaments, said recently.
Osimhen leads Nigeria into the AFCON fresh from being named the African player of the year off the back of his brilliant form in Napoli's run to the Serie A title. He scored 26 goals for Napoli last season but has struggled in comparison in this campaign, netting only eight times. However, he has just signed a new contract at his club and will be eager to make up for lost time at the Cup of Nations.
Osimhen hardly featured as Nigeria finished third at the 2019 tournament and sat out the last edition two years ago due to a combination of a facial injury and an untimely bout of Covid.
However, there will be no Victor Boniface to take some of the attacking burden off Osimhen after the Bayer Leverkusen striker withdrew injured this week.
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