Who to watch out for in the African Cup of Nations
The 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations kicks off this evening with hosts Ivory Coast taking on Guinea-Bissau.
A number of big names that have previously lit up the Premier League, or one, in particular, who is still banging in the goals in England’s top-flight, will be looking to lead their nation to glory.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane will be aiming to secure back-to-back AFCON titles for Senegal, former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez will be hoping to reclaim the silverware for Algeria while Mohamed Salah will be trying to land the top prize in African football for the first time.
Egypt, who have won more AFCON titles than any other nation with seven, haven’t got their hands on the trophy since 2010 while for Salah, it’s the one glaring gold medal missing from his collection having lost his two final appearances in 2017 and 2021.
But while the tournament’s spotlight will shine brightly on Salah, Mane and Mahrez - Hakim Ziyech will also be hoping to have his say with the World Cup’s surprise package Morocco – we have selected some other known and lesser knowns players to keep an eye on between now and the final on the 11th of February.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and Napoli)
If it was slightly bit harsh not to mention Nigeria amongst the countries in contention for the AFCON title above, it was certainly harsh not to mention Victor Osimhen amongst the stars that could inspire their nation to victory.
Osimhen became one of the hottest properties in world football last season when he finished as leading scorer in Serie A and helping Napoli to their first league title since 1990.
He was denied the chance to show his quality at the 2022 Qatar World Cup as Nigeria suffered defeat in their playoff against
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