14 Star Players Shining Brightly At The 2017 Africa Cup Of Nations
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations is underway in Gabon, with the 16 best teams in Africa fighting for continental glory.
Among those teams are many of the continent’s best individual players, some of whom have been producing world-class performances in front of the AFCON crowds.
Goals have been scored, saves made and commanding individual appearances in all positions have produced results for their teams.
Here we take a look at 14 African soccer players who have performed well at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Sources: SuperSport, CAFOnline.
Mohamed Salah – Egypt
The Roma player has taken his stellar form in Serie A and continued it on the international stage with the Pharaohs of Egypt at the AFCON, scoring two goals in the group stages to help his side through to the knockout stages. A sublime Salah free kick was the winning goal in the crunch group encounter against Ghana, which Egypt won 1-0.
Junior Kabananga – DR Congo
Having scored only one goal in 11 previous internationals before the 2017 AFCON, Kabananga was not expected to be a major threat in attack for the Congolese, but he has made this his tournament, scoring in each group stage match to top score with three goals.
Christian Atsu – Ghana
The supremely talented Ghanaian winger has enjoyed a good tournament in Gabon, inspiring fans with his runs down the wing while outplaying more illustrious team-mates Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew in the group stages of the competition. In the quarter-final he won a penalty for the team which proved to be the winner.
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Fabrice Ondoa – Cameroon
Goalkeepers have really stood out at this tournament, and Ondoa is another example of excellent keeping at the AFCON. The 21-year-old has consistently come up with important saves throughout the competition, helping the Indomitable Lions to reach the last four thus far.
Andre Ayew – Ghana
The older of the two Ayew brothers has been a leader in the Ghana national team squad, providing his team-mates with a reference point and scoring a couple of penalties along the way to the semi-finals.
Sadio Mane – Senegal
The Liverpool attacking player will be disappointed to have missed the final penalty kick for Senegal in their shootout loss to Cameroon at the quarter-final stage, but fans should not forget his two goals in the group stages and his commanding play upfront throughout the competition.
Prejuce Nakoulma – Burkina Faso
Another of the stars that have emerged from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Nakoulma has been an important player for the Stallions, scoring three goals thus far, including one of the goals to allow Burkina Faso passage through to the semi-finals with victory over Tunisia.
Essam El Hadary – Egypt
The 44-year-old recently became the oldest player to have featured at the AFCON, and despite his age he has been in fine form for the Pharaohs, providing experience at the back for the seven-time AFCON champs. His brilliant saves are part and parcel of his performances at this Nations Cup.
Ahmed Hegazi – Egypt
After conceding only one goal in the three 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group stage games, Egypt emerged from the first round as the team with the best defence, and Hegazi is one of the biggest contributors to that record. His speed and physicality mean that he has been difficult to beat.
Herve Koffi – Burkina Faso
At only 20 years old, Koffi is Burkina Faso’s first choice keeper and he has been a crucial element of their drive to the semi-finals thus far. His mature contributions in goal saw the Stallions top Group A before moving on to the semi-final with a clean sheet against Tunisia in the quarters.
Benjamin Moukandjo – Cameroon
The 28-year-old Cameroon captain has led by example, putting in impressive performances to ensure that the Indomitable Lions progressed to the knockout stages of the competition. They progressed to the semis thanks to a shootout against Senegal in the quarters. He scored one in the shootout and was also on target in a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso.
Riyad Mahrez – Algeria
The current African Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez, is now out of the competition, after a disappointing run from Algeria, but individually he shone for the Fennec Foxes. Two goals during the group stages came from his boot, and despite the first round exit he can be proud of scoring a couple of AFCON strikes.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Gabon
The 2015 African player of the year will be saddened to have to watch the knockout rounds of the tournament from Germany where his club is based, but aside from a dismal performance in their final group match against Cameroon, Aubameyang was one of the few standout players for the hosts, scoring a goal in each of the other two group stage matches.
Islam Slimani – Algeria
Despite a poor tournament from the Algerians, they were not short of goalscorers during the group stage, and Leicester City striker Slimani managed to contribute two goals against Senegal in the first round, though poor defending allowed the Teranga Lions to earn a 2-2 draw in that match.