The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11. Among the largest names in world soccer will function on the event, and AFP Sport picks out 5 to comply with:
MOHAMED SALAH (Egypt)
The 31-year-old Liverpool ahead is a famous person of the English Premier League and a sporting icon throughout the Arab world.
He’s the joint prime scorer within the Premier League this season with 14 objectives, serving to take Liverpool to the highest of the desk. The hazard for Jurgen Klopp’s staff is that their title problem could possibly be blown off target as they might lose Salah for 4 league video games if he goes all the best way on the AFCON with Egypt.
That although is the goal for Salah, who made his worldwide debut in 2011, a yr after Egypt received the final of their report seven Cup of Nations crowns. He performed within the groups that misplaced the AFCON finals in 2017, to Cameroon, and in 2022 to Senegal, and will likely be hoping this yr to take the additional step.
VICTOR OSIMHEN (Nigeria)
The prospect of Osimhen main Nigeria into the AFCON is a mouthwatering one for Tremendous Eagles followers. He heads to Ivory Coast recent from being named the African participant of the yr for 2023 off the again of his sensible kind in Napoli’s run to the Serie A title.
He scored 26 objectives for Napoli final season however has struggled as compared on this marketing campaign, netting solely eight instances. Nonetheless, he has simply signed a brand new contract at his membership and will likely be wanting to make up for misplaced time on the Cup of Nations.
Osimhen hardly featured as Nigeria completed third on the 2019 event and sat out the final version two years in the past as a result of a mixture of a facial damage and an premature bout of Covid.
SADIO MANE (Senegal)
Mane was the hero as Senegal shook off years of underachievement to win the Cup of Nations for the primary time in 2022, scoring the profitable penalty within the shoot-out towards Egypt in Yaounde.
The 2-time former African footballer of the yr was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2022 however there may be considerations his profession has gone backwards to some extent since then.
Damage dominated him out of the World Cup in Qatar, and he then left Bayern Munich after only one season to hitch Al Nassr within the Saudi Professional League. Does that imply that, now aged 31, he may need misplaced a few of his edge since leaving Europe? Senegal followers will hope not. He’s nonetheless averaging virtually a purpose each second sport for his membership, the place he performs alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, and is vital to his nation’s possibilities of retaining their continental crown.
SERHOU GUIRASSY (Guinea)
Guinea are ranked solely fifteenth in Africa, have made little affect on the latter phases of latest AFCON tournaments, and face a combat simply to get out of a bunch containing Senegal, Cameroon and Gambia. But they do boast a participant who has been a sensation within the German Bundesliga this season in Guirassy, the 27-year-old French-born striker.
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The previous France Underneath-20 worldwide had averaged a really respectable 10 league objectives a season during the last three years at Rennes after which VfB Stuttgart however his kind with the latter on this marketing campaign has been exceptional.
Guirassy has 19 objectives in 16 video games in all competitions for his membership, together with two hat-tricks, to assist Stuttgart as much as third within the desk. Solely Harry Kane of Bayern Munich has scored extra Bundesliga objectives. Now it stays to be seen if he can switch his membership kind to the worldwide stage, the place his report up to now with Guinea is modest.
ACHRAF HAKIMI (Morocco)
The marauding Paris Saint-Germain right-back is the largest star in a Morocco staff ranked primary in Africa and who come into the AFCON with massive ambitions after reaching the World Cup semi-finals simply over a yr in the past.
The runner-up to Osimhen for the African footballer of the yr award is theoretically a defender, however he supplies an enormous attacking risk down the flank and has been in excellent kind for his membership this season. If Hakimi stays match and performs at his greatest, Morocco have each likelihood of profitable a primary AFCON since 1976.
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