Sports

AFCON 2023: 5 players to watch out for

Published

11 months ago

January 13, 2024

Ahead of the 37th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicking off in Ivory Coast on Saturday, there will be a plethora of African soccer stars who will definitely shine like a million stars.

With anticipation building up as the 24 best teams on the continent battle to lift the coveted trophy, individual brilliance of the players will not be overlooked.

Each of the 24 countries participating in the tournament have one or two star players who will stand out. In this piece, Africa News Watch takes a look at five of such players to look out for.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Mohamed Salah is probably the best player on the African continent at the moment and there is no gain saying that once again, he will bring his magic to bear.

Over the years, he has continued to be Egypt’s shining light and this Afcon tournament will not be an exception.

The 31-year-old will want to use this edition to atone for missing out on the trophy in Cameroon when the Pharoas lost to Senegal on penalties.

His form at Liverpool where he has a 27-goal contribution is a testament to the fact that he is one of the continent’s best players.

Sadio Mane (Senegal)

If Mohamed Salah is Egypt’s most high profile player, Sadio Mane is Senegal’s answer to that as he is also poised to battle for player of the tournament.

Mane may have endured a tough couple of years beginning with his not so impressive time at Bayern Munich after moving from Liverpool in 2022.

But Mane seems to have rediscovered himself after leaving Germany for a fresh start at Saudi Arabia League club Al-Nassr.

The move has afforded Mane a new lease of life as he has struck up a strong partnership with former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, recording eight goals and four assists in 18 league outings.

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)

The 37th edition of African Nations Cup may just be the platform for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen to prove to the world that his sterling performances with Napoli and the Super Eagles were no fluke.

The 2023 African Player of the Year who fired Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season is poised to carry the goal burden for Nigeria following injuries to Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar but the 24-year-old does not seem to be fazed with the load.

He is not only a fox in the box but master finisher with excellent instincts in and around the box and a knack for clever runs in behind defences.

If he gets the kind of service he gets from his midfielders and wingers, Osimhen may just turn out to be the missing cog in the Super Eagles attack.

Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)

Ghanaian football fans are enthusiastic that Mohammed Kudus is the long awaited heir to cult hero Abedi Pele despite the fact that his two sons, Andre and Jordan have been in the team for years.

Kudu’s impact at West Ham is one of the reasons the modest club is currently punching above its weight in the English Premier League after entering the top six at the halfway point.

If the 23-year-old Kudus brings his a-game to Ivory Coast, the Black Stars may just spring a surprise at the tournament.

Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)

Riyad Mahrez may have been a Premier League winner at Leicester City, but it was at Manchester City where he truly became one of the best players in Europe, terrorising defences on the right flank with his superb dribbling skills and expert delivery.

Mahrez captained Algeria to AFCON glory in 2019 and this edition may not be so much different for him and the Desert Foxes.

His move from City to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ahli had also added a fresh impetus to Mahrez’s game as he has registered eight goals and seven assists across the first half of the season.

Mahrez may have stepped down a level, but he’s still a world-class player on his day and an achievement he will stop at nothing to replicate this time around.

Click to comment

Sports

Nigeria’s Lookman, Zambia’s Banda big winners at 2024 CAF Award

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Nigerian sensation, Ademola Lookman, has wrapped his footballing year with another win after being declared as the Men’s Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Lookman, who plays for Italian club side Atalanta, was the biggest winner at the star-studded 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech following 12 months with Italian side Atalanta and the Nigerian Super Eagles. He follows in the footsteps of compatriot Victor Osimhen, who claimed the award in 2023.

This is the first time Nigeria has had consecutive men’s award winners since nearly thirty years, when Nwankwo Kanu (1996) and Victor Ikpeba (1997) were awarded.

Other top African achievers recognized for their exploits during the event include South Africa’s Ronwen Williams and Zambia’s Barbra Banda. Banda was instrumental in leading Orlando Pride to the NWSL Shield and Championship in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season in the United States. She scored the game-winning goal in the final against Washington Spirit.

Other winners include Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, who won Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second year in a row after another impressive season for French side Paris FC.

Sanaâ Mssoudy, a forward for AS FAR and Morocco, received the Women’s Interclub Player of the Year award after winning the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League Best Player title. Agile box-to-box midfielder, Lamine Camara of Senegal and Monaco, won the Men’s Young Player of the Year award for his outstanding performances for both club and country.

Doha El Madani, a 19-year-old Moroccan and AS FAR player, won the Women’s Young Player of the Year award after scoring six goals in five games to win the Golden Boot at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.

See the full winners list below:

2024 CAF AWARDS WINNERS

CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)

CAF PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Barbra Banda (Zambia / Orlando Pride)

CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)

CAF GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC)

CAF INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)

CAF INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Sanaâ Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR)

CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)

CAF YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)

CAF COACH OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)

CAF COACH OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe)

CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Cote d’Ivoire

CAF NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Nigeria

CAF CLUB OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Al Ahly (Egypt)

CAF CLUB OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)

CAF REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)

CAF REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)

CAF ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (MEN)
Elvis Guy Noupue Nguegoue (Cameroon)

CAF ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)

CAF GOAL OF THE YEAR
Mabululu (Angola)

Sports

Salah wins 6th EPL Player of the Month award

Published

3 days ago

December 15, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Egyptian national team captain and Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, was on Saturday voted the EA SPORTS Player of the Month for November 2024, making it his sixth POTM diadem in his career.

Salah, who has been in inspiring form this season, has scored and assisted five of Liverpool’s seven goals as the Reds won all three of their Premier League matches to stay top of the table.

Salah’s was November’s highest scorer in the Premier League and the Egyptian is now on 13 goals for the season, level with Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.

The 32-year-old also has 21 combined goals and assists this season, the most in the Premier League, four more than Cole Palmer, who ranked second in the voting.

This award also puts Salah alongside Premier League legends like Steven Gerrard and Cristiano Ronaldo, who also won the Player of the Month award six times, and is now just one win away from equaling the record of seven awards, held by Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.