AFCON 2023: Top 10 stars to watch in Côte d'Ivoire – Spotlight on Osimhen, Salah, Mane, Hakimi
Get the lowdown on 10 footballers set to shine at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d'Ivoire.
Football
The stars will be out for an entire month in Côte d'Ivoire when the CAF Africa Cup of Nations descends on the coastal nation for the first time since 1984.
Senegal are the defending champions, and their star-studded squad makes them one of the favourites heading into the tournament, which starts on 13 January. But the Lions of Teranga are not alone in boasting world-class talent, making for an AFCON that is once again hard to predict.
From a Liverpool legend to a striker who is taking the Bundesliga by storm, here are 10 players expected to light up the tournament and maybe even lift the trophy in Abidjan on 11 February.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and Napoli)
Leading Nigeria’s charge for a first AFCON title since 2013 is current African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen.
The 24-year-old was key to Napoli’s Serie A triumph last season with 26 goals, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
Osimhen - who still wears a protective facial mask despite recovering from the eye socket injury that ruled him out of AFCON 2021 - has recently signed a new contract at Napoli. This will keep interested Premier League clubs at bay, for now at least, though his exploits in Côte d'Ivoire will still be keenly observed.
He already has 20 goals in just 27 appearances for his country and looks a shoo-in to eventually eclipse Rashidi Yekini's record of 37 goals for the Super Eagles.
But for now, Osimhen would love nothing more than to steer Nigeria to a fourth AFCON title, especially knowing that a healthy goal return would drive up his asking price for Napoli.
A dejected Mohamed Salah after Egypt's 2021 AFCON final defeat to Senegal
Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
The nearly man of AFCON in both 2017 and 2022, Mohamed Salah will be out for revenge when Egypt aim to win a record-extending eighth title and their first since 2010.
The forward has twice been on the losing side in finals. Most painfully of all, he had to watch on in the penalty shoot-out defeat to Senegal two years ago when then-Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane converted the winning spot-kick before Salah had the chance to take Egypt’s fifth.
Salah will be eager to avoid a repeat, and his current form for Liverpool suggests the 31-year-old is intent on adding to his impressive collection of honours.
A trophy on the international stage would certainly feel like a weight off his shoulders, given he is Egypt’s star man once more going into this tournament.
Sadio Mane (Senegal and Al-Nassr)
Mane was named Man of the Competition two years ago having gone from 'zero to hero' in the final against Egypt.
He saw his first-half penalty saved by Gabaski after his then-Liverpool colleague Salah advised the goalkeeper which way to go. But Mane then made amends by scoring the winning spot-kick in the shoot-out and leading Senegal to their first AFCON triumph.
After a short spell at Bayern Munich, the forward joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr and has already found the net 12 times.
With three goals in recent outings for Senegal, Mane appears to be in excellent form to spearhead his country's title defence.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria and Al-Ahli)
Like his fellow English Premier League winner Mane, Riyad Mahrez headed for the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
The pair have also both tasted AFCON glory with Mahrez captaining Algeria to their 2019 success.
The winger scored once in their flawless group campaign and then again in the round of 16, before his stunning free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time sealed victory against Nigeria in the semi-finals.
In the final, Baghdad Bounedjah’s second-minute goal was enough to beat Senegal and secure a first AFCON crown since 1990.
Mahrez continues to skipper Algeria and, after adding a handful of trophies to his collection with Manchester City, is now playing for Al-Ahli alongside the likes of former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and Ivorian Franck Kessie.
With Mahrez on the pitch, Algeria will be a threat and cannot be ruled out.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain)
PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi was key to Morocco becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
It was a monumental feat and Hakimi had his moment in the sun when scoring a Panenka penalty in the round-of-16 shootout win against 2010 champions Spain.
Now their task will be translating that success back onto the continental stage with Morocco's sole AFCON triumph coming in 1976. Their most recent final appearance was in 2004 when they lost to Tunisia.
But with Hakimi the star of a squad that also boasts great depth, it could be a tournament to remember for the Atlas Lions.
Iñaki Williams (Ghana and Athletic Bilbao)
One of La Liga’s finest will grace AFCON for the first time this month, with Iñaki Williams having made his first Ghana appearance in July 2022 following a promise he made to his grandfather.
The Athletic Bilbao forward, who played for Spain at U-21 level, has since appeared 12 times for his country including at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Williams, the elder brother of fellow Athletic Bilbao and Spain star Nico, scored his first international goal in November's 1-0 World Cup qualification win over Madagascar and dedicated it to his grandfather who passed away earlier in 2023.
At club level, he is also in fine form and on course to better his tally of 12 La Liga goals from the 2018-19 season.
Capable of playing across the front three and much more than just a goalscorer, Williams gives the Black Stars - who are viewed as outsiders for the tournament - real attacking power alongside Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus, and brothers Andre and Jordan Ayew.
Frank Anguissa (Cameroon and Napoli)
The sole Cameroonian in the 2023 CAF Team of the Year, Frank Anguissa is his nation’s talisman.
At club level, along with Osimhen, he helped Napoli win their first Serie A title since Diego Maradona led them to scudettos in 1987 and 1990.
As a midfield enforcer who does the dirty work and rarely makes headlines, Anguissa is one of the first names on the Napoli and Cameroon teamsheets.
His endeavours are also greatly appreciated by his teammates and, as one of the more experienced members of the Cameroon squad, he will be heavily relied upon as they bid for AFCON title number six.
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and VfB Stuttgart)
Harry Kane’s record-breaking start for Bayern Munich in Germany may have hogged the limelight, but Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy has certainly been causing a stir as well this season.
At the winter break, Guirassy lies second in the Bundesliga scoring charts with 17 goals to Kane's 21.
The former France youth international will be greatly missed by Stuttgart when he makes his AFCON debut having first turned out for Guinea in 2022.
Guinea are very much underdogs in Group C with Senegal, Cameroon and Gambia for company, but the 27-year-old is in the sort of form that could help his side defy the odds.
Patson Daka (Zambia and Leicester City)
Back in the fold and back in the goals at Leicester, Patson Daka has given a reminder of the danger he poses when given the opportunity.
The 25-year-old was out of favour at the start of the season for the 2016 English champions who were relegated from the Premier League last season. But he then had four goals and two assists in six starts with Leicester, well clear at the top of the Championship and set for a swift return to the top flight.
For Zambia, Daka has scored five times in his last three games and carries the hopes of a nation that won a shock AFCON title in 2012.
They have not progressed beyond the group stages since and this is their first finals appearance since 2015. But in Daka they have a striker capable of troubling Morocco, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania in Group F.
Youssef Msakni (Tunisia and Al-Arabi)
Tunisia’s strength lies in their quality across the pitch, but skipper Youssef Msakni is arguably the standout player in a team which regularly reaches the AFCON knockout stages.
Champions for the first time in 2004, the Eagles of Carthage have since reached the quarter-final stage seven times. Only once have they progressed further - in 2019 when they finished fourth - but two consecutive World Cup appearances make them one of Africa's top sides.
Up to 29th in the FIFA rankings, placing them fourth among African nations, Tunisia are expected to make it out of Group E where they will face Mali, South Africa and Namibia.
Msakni will almost certainly reach a century of international appearances in Côte d'Ivoire, and he'll be hoping to add to his tally of 22 goals for his country. With six goals in 2023, he is ready to carry his nation's expectations.