5 Stars To Watch At AFCON 2023

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.

Some of the biggest names in world football will feature at the tournament, and AFP Sport picks out five to follow:

VICTOR OSIMHEN (Nigeria)

For Super Eagles supporters, the idea of Osimhen leading Nigeria into the AFCON is tantalizing. After leading Napoli to the Serie A championship, he was selected as the African player of the year for 2023, and he is now on his way to Ivory Coast.

Compared to previous season, when he scored 26 goals for Napoli, he has struggled this year, scoring just eight goals. He recently inked a new deal with his team, though, so he’ll be motivated to make up lost time at the Cup of Nations.

Osimhen barely played in the 2019 event, as Nigeria finished third. Due to a combination of a facial injury and an unfortunate case of COVID-19, he missed the previous edition two years earlier.

MOHAMED SALAH (Egypt)

Egypt’s forward Mohamed Salah (R) reacts during the Group D Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 football match between Nigeria and Egypt at Stade Roumde Adjia in Garoua on January 11, 2022.
Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP

The 31-year-old forward for Liverpool is a global sporting hero in the Arab world as well as an English Premier League superstar. With 14 goals this season, he is tied for the most goals scored in the Premier League and has helped lead Liverpool to the top of the standings. If Salah plays every minute of the AFCON for Egypt, Jurgen Klopp’s team runs the risk of losing four league games and losing the race for the championship.

However, it is Salah’s goal. He made his debut for his country in 2011, the year after Egypt won their seventh and last Cup of Nations title. He was a member of the squads that lost to Senegal in the 2022 AFCON finals and Cameroon in the 2017 finals. This year, he hopes to go one better.

SADIO MANE (Senegal)

In this file photo, Senegal’s forward Sadio Mane (L) is challenged by Cape Verde’s defender Steven Fortes during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 round of 16 football match between Senegal and Cape Verde at Stade de Kouekong in Bafoussam on January 25, 2022.
Pius Utomi EKPEI / AFP

Senegal defeated Egypt in a Yaounde shootout, and Mane’s decisive penalty sealed the victory, helping the team overcome years of underperformance to win the Cup of Nations for the first time in 2022.

The two-time African footballer of the year finished second in the 2022 Ballon d’Or, but there may be worries that his career has somewhat regressed since then.

After missing out on the World Cup in Qatar due to injury, he joined Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and left Bayern Munich after just one season. Does that imply that since leaving Europe, at the age of 31, he may have lost some of his edge? Fans of Senegal will hope not. He continues to score nearly a goal every other game for his team, where he teams up with Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is essential to his nation’s hopes of winning the continental championship again.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Guinea)

Stuttgart’s Guinean forward #09 Serhou Guirassy reacts during the German first division Bundesliga football match between VfB Stuttgart and FC Augsburg in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on December 20, 2023. (Photo by Thomas KIENZLE / AFP)

Guinea is only ranked fifteenth in Africa, has not had much of an impact on the later stages of previous AFCON competitions, and will have to fight their way out of a group that includes Senegal, Cameroon, and Gambia. However, they do have Guirassy, a 27-year-old striker of French descent, who has been a sensation in the German Bundesliga this season.

Over the previous three years, the former France Under-20 international had scored a very acceptable 10 league goals per season with Rennes and then VfB Stuttgart. However, his form with the latter this season has been outstanding.

Guirassy has helped Stuttgart move up to third place in the standings with 19 goals in 16 games across all competitions for his team, including two hat-tricks. The only player with more Bundesliga goals is Harry Kane of Bayern Munich. His record with Guinea is not particularly impressive, so it will be interesting to see if he can translate his club play to the international arena.

ACHRAF HAKIMI (Morocco)

Morocco’s defender Achraf Hakimi celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 round of 16 football match between Morocco and Malawi at Stade Ahmadou-Ahidjo in Yaounde on January 25, 2022. Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP

The most prominent player on Morocco’s top-ranked African team, who enters the AFCON with high expectations after making it to the World Cup semifinals little over a year ago, is the rampaging right-back for Paris Saint-Germain.

Though he is technically a defender, the African footballer of the year runner-up to Osimhen has been playing fantastically for his team this season and offers a significant offensive threat down the flank. Morocco has a great chance of winning their first AFCON since 1976 if Hakimi stays healthy and plays at his peak.