All the countries coming to AFCON 2023 have one player, on whose shoulders lies a lot of responsibility to help their teams achieve their respective goals.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament will showcase 24 countries, each with its own set of star players who serve as the talismans for their respective teams.
These individuals might not be the most prominent on social media or the most flamboyantly attired, but they are the go-to figures in times of crisis and challenge. With a composed demeanour, they lead their teams effectively.
In certain nations, these players are prominently featured, taking centre stage in interviews and becoming the faces of their teams. Their images adorn many posters and headlines, yet they are the key figures driving and influencing the success of their teams.
Algeria: Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez is the captain, the inspiration, and the maestro for the Desert Foxes. The 32-year-old has won almost every accolade and trophy he has competed in. He led Algeria to the 2019 AFCON title and, last season, won the treble with Manchester City before moving to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ahli SFC.Mahrez made his Algeria debut on 31 May 2014, against Armenia and has since won 89 caps, scoring 30 goals.
Angola: Zito Luvumbo
Despite his young age and career with the Palancas Negras, the Cagliari forward has a lot of responsibility, and his teammates will expect him to be at his best when they kick off their AFCON campaign on 15 January against Algeria.
Luvombo made his debut in September 2019, and in eight appearances, the 21-year-old is yet to get off the goal-scoring mark.
Burkina Faso: Bertrand Traore
Traore is a veteran at 28, having made his debut for the Stallions in September 2011 at 15 years, 11 months, and 28 days. The closest he got to leading his country to an AFCON title was in 2013, when Burkina Faso went all the way to the final, but Nigeria beat them 1-0.
Widely travelled, the left-footed ace needs the AFCON to get some minutes this season, having played just nine minutes for Aston Villa in the EPL. Traore has amassed 72 caps and scored 15 goals for the Stallions.
Cameroon: André-Frank Zambo Anguissa
Anguissa is still the Indomitable Lions' main man--the one who stitches the play all together. The Napoli midfielder is at the peak of his powers, and many of his teammates will look to him for leadership.At 28, he showed his qualities at the last World Cup and can inspire the Lions to step up in Cote d'Ivoire, after their third-place showing in 2021.
Cape Verde: Ryan Mendes
The nippy and skilful Mendes holds the hopes of about 562,000 islanders on their fourth AFCON journey. The 34-year-old has been playing for his country since 2010 and is the joint top goal scorer with Heldon on 15 goals.
Mendes holds the record for most appearances, 69, for the Blue Sharks.
Cote d'Ivoire: Franck Kessie
The home team will require the experience and expertise of the former AC Milan stalwart as they rebuild their team. The 27-year-old midfielder has a penchant for scoring important goals, and the Elephants will need those in this tournament.
Kessie made his debut for the Elephants in September 2014 against Sierra Leone and has since won 69 caps and scored eight goals.
DR Congo: Chancel Mbemba
For DR Congo, their talisman is a defender and captain of the team with vast experience. He has played in Congo, Belgium, England, Portugal, and France, winning 69 caps for the Leopards since he made his debut against the Seychelles in 2012.
Egypt: Mohamed Salah
There is nothing to add to what Salah is to Egypt. He is so lauded he could become president, but the Liverpool forward is still doing the business on the pitch. At 31, Salah is still going strong and would love to win something with his country.
Since making his debut against Sierra Leone in 2011, he has won 92 more caps and scored 53 goals. Salah was in the Egypt team that lost the 2017 final to Cameroon and, in 2021, captained the Pharaohs to the final, where they lost to Senegal on penalties. Would it be a third time lucky for Salah?
Equatorial Guinea: Emilio Nsue
At 34, Nsue is nearing retirement, but he keeps going for his country. The vastly experienced forward has been a professional since 2006, a career that has taken him to Spain, England, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Cyprus at nine clubs. Nsue now plays for Inter-City FC in Spain's third tier.
He made his debut in 2013 against Cape Verde and scored a hat trick to announce his international bow. Since then, he has won 37 caps and scored 15 goals. This could be his swansong for the Nzalang Nacional.
Ghana: Mohammed Kudus
Kudus checks all the boxes for the Black Stars. Deceptively strong, skilful, and with an eye for goal, the West Ham forward is the Ghanaian player who must deliver if the Black Stars will stand any chance of making the final on 11 February.The former Ajax player stood out at the 2022 World Cup, and they will expect more of him, especially in tandem with Inaki Williams. Kudus made his debut against South Africa in 2019 and scored to give Ghana a 2-0 home victory. After 29 caps and nine goals, Kudus needs a tremendous performance in Cote d'Ivoire.
Guinea: Naby Keita
Keita, 28, has had an injury-plagued career, and he is not having the best of times at Werder Bremen this season. But for Guinea, he always comes to the fore, which makes the West African country an outside bet to get to the quarterfinals.
Keita made his debut for the Syli National against Mali in a friendly encounter in 2014, and he has since won 54 caps and scored 12 goals. His midfield dynamism will be the fulcrum on which they will build any progression.
Guinea-Bissau: Sori Mane
The Djurtus are making their fourth consecutive appearance at AFCON, and Sori Mane is a primary reason they expect to garner more than their accustomed one point from a very strong Group A.
The 27-year-old defensive midfielder made his debut in a 3-1 defeat to South Africa in 2017 and has not scored in his 29 appearances for his country.
Senegal: Sadio Mane
Mane missed the 2022 World Cup and would love nothing more than leading his country to a successful AFCON defence. The 31-year-old scored the penalty that won the last AFCON tournament, but he has since moved from Liverpool to Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia.
Mane is a one-man wrecking crew on his good day, and his coach, Aliou Cissé, will expect more than just goals from the forward, as they sorely missed his leadership in Qatar. Mane has won a century of caps and scored 39 goals since he made his debut for the Teranga Lions in 2012 against Morocco.
Tanzania: Ally Samatta
The Taifa Stars have one of the most durable stars on the African continent, Mbwana Ally Samatta. He is three goals shy of tying the record goal scorer in Tanzanian football history with the 25 goals scored by Mrisho Ngasa.
He is the first and only Tanzanian player to have played in the English Premier League, and he has scored 22 goals in 69 appearances since he made his debut against the Central African Republic in 2011.
The Gambia: Musa Barrow
Barrow leads The Gambia to a second consecutive AFCON tournament, and his two goals were important for their march to a quarterfinal appearance on their debut. Barrow has been playing for the Scorpions since 2018.
Barrow will have the expectation of being the fulcrum of attack in Cote d'Ivoire and increasing his meagre five goals in 32 appearances for his country.
Tunisia: Youssef Msakni
Msakni will appear at AFCON 2023, aiming to win his 100th cap with the Carthage Eagles. Since he made his debut in 2010 against the Gambia, the 33-year-old has attended six AFCON tournaments, and the best has been a fourth-place finish in 2019.
Msakni won the CHAN tournament in 2011 and has won 98 caps, scoring 22 goals.
Mali: Yves Bissouma
Mali made consecutive semi-final appearances in 2012 and 2013 but has been absent in the latter stages of the AFCON since then, despite 12 final appearances. Bissouma is comfortable with the ball and can orchestrate his team's offence and defence capably.
The Les Aiglons player has a disciplinary challenge, which he needs to curb as his team looks to him for leadership and direction. Bissouma made his debut at 19 in 2015, but injuries have curtailed him to just 29 caps and three goals.
Mauritania: Guessouma Fofana
The Le Havre midfielder has the onerous task of leading Mauritania's quest for a second-round qualification. The 31-year-old opted for Mauritania in 2011, though he had French and Malian options.
He has yet to open his goal account after 12 appearances for the Lions of Chinguetti.
Morocco: Yassine Bounou
One reason Morocco went all the way to the semi-final at the 2022 World Cup was Bounou, and he looks to lead his country to a second win after their sole triumph in 1976.Blessed with a powerful personality, Bounou is outspoken and well-armed with the experience of playing in Europe for 10 years before moving to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Hilal in 2023. The 32-year-old has won 55 caps for the Atlas Lions since his debut in 3013 against Burkina Faso.
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Mozambique: Elias 'Domingues' Pelembe
With over 100 caps for his country, 40-year-old Pelembe has been his country's torchbearer since he appeared for the Mambas at the 2010 AFCON tournament. He is now playing his trade in Mozambique with UD Songo.
The midfielder scored the first of his 16 goals for Mozambique against Madagascar on 22 June 2008.
Namibia: Denzil Haoseb
Haoseb is 32 and will hope to help his country past the group stage for the first time in their AFCON history in Cote d'Ivoire. Now back with Khomas Nampol FC, in Namibia's first division, the central defender will need all his 14-year experience to achieve this.
Haoseb made his debut for the Brave Warriors on 16 March 2011, has since played 82 times for his country, and has yet to score.
Nigeria: Victor Osimhen
The Super Eagles are a more lethal team, with the current African Player of the Year in it. The 25-year-old looks like the missing piece, but when he fails to find the net, the team struggles for positive results.Compared to the legendary Rashidi Yekini, Osimhen has already scored 20 goals in 27 appearances for the Eagles and looks well-primed to smash Yekini's goal-scoring record of 37 goals in 62 appearances. Osimhen made his debut against Togo in 2017.
South Africa: Percy Tau
Tau seems to have been playing for the Bafana Bafana forever, even though he made his debut in 2017 and announced himself on the international stage with a goal against Nigeria in a Nations Cup qualifier in October 2017.
Currently the best African male player based on the continent, the 29-year-old holds the key to South Africa's progression from Group E, where they face Mali, Tunisia, and Namibia. Tau has scored 14 goals in 39 appearances for his country.
Zambia: Stoppila Sunzu
Sunzu has won the AFCON title with Zambia, scoring the winning penalty against Cote d'Ivoire in 2012. The fast central defender has won 80 caps for his country, and this could be his last AFCON tournament.
At 34, the Chipolopolo strongman has scored five goals in his national team stint since he made his debut in 2008 against Swaziland.
