The Africa Cup of Nations is always a star-studded event and while it can be stressful for famous clubs to lose some of their best players, fans have a chance. Watch some of the best players in the world compete on the international stage.
A host of top attacking players will attend AFCON 2022, but there are also plenty of goalkeepers, defenders and key midfielders who are undisputed world-class talents.
While many of the top stars are from the Premier League, there are also players from Serie A, Ligue 1, and even the Eredivisie as Europe sends some of its iconic protagonists to the competition.
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The 10 best players at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations
10. Achraf Hakimi (Right-back, Morocco)
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Grow old: 23
- Cap: 41
- Goal: 5
Hakimi has been one of Africa’s best young talents over the years, as evidenced by his 41 international caps at the age of 23. He made a fortune with his move from Inter Milan to PSG in the off-season. This past summer, Hakimi has started his career in Paris, where he has contributed three goals and three assists from a right-back position. He has been a fixture in the Morocco squad for the past two years, and played every minute of the team’s progress to the 2019 AFCON knockout stages. Teammate Youssef En-Nesyri will be the beneficiary of the crosses. by Hakimi.
9. Kalidou Koulibaly (Central defender, Senegal)
- Club: Naples (Italy)
- Grow old: 30
- Cap: 53
- Goal: 0
Two years ago, the Napoli star made headlines as a high-value transfer target and he remains one of the top defenders in Europe. SofaScore rated Koulibaly as the best midfielder in Serie A this season, while WhoScored ranked him in second place. Koulibaly is struggling with a hamstring injury, but has been included in Senegal’s squad, which suggests he could be on the pitch soon. It is no coincidence that Napoli had only lost one league game until his injury, at which point the club had lost three-quarters of his time in his absence.
8. Wilfred Ndidi (Defender / Midfielder, Nigeria)
- Club: Leicester City (England)
- Grow old: 25
- Cap: 43 coats
- Goal: 0
Leicester City, already besieged by injury, will miss Ndidi in the worst way. He is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League, and will be crucial to Nigeria’s chances for a successful tournament. Sometimes switched to centre-back, Ndidi averaged nearly four successful tackles per game and has taken on the main role of N’Golo Kante in midfield against the Foxes. While Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa receive plaudits in front of goal, Ndidi’s performance will determine how far Nigeria can go.
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7. Sebastien Haller (Striker, Ivory Coast)
- Club: Ajax (Netherlands)
- Grow old: 27
- Cap: 8
- Goal: 3
While Haller looked pretty mediocre during his time with West Ham in the Premier League, he is a completely different player this season and a real contender for the league’s top scorer title. Indeed, he can claim to be in the best form of anyone in the competition, scoring a staggering 10 goals in six Champions League group stage games this season, plus another 12 in 17. matches in the Eredivisie. Look past Haller and you might miss out on one of the most exciting players in the league. He can steal, especially when backed up by Wilfried Zaha and Nicolas Pepe in attack.
6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Striker, Gabon)
- Club: Arsenal (England)
- Grow old: 32
- Cap: 71
- Goal: 29
Left out of the Arsenal squad and rumored to be leaving, this month Aubameyang will be desperate to feature at AFCON and remind the world – and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta – of his worth. Aubameyang had a slow start to the league season before his final banishment, and the international scene was his chance to get back to his best. As of November 2020, through AFCON qualifying and a World Cup spot, Gabon is 4W-0L-0D when Aubameyang scores and 0W-5L-1D when he doesn’t, so their tournament hopes entirely dependent on his success in front of goal.
5. Thomas Partey (Midfielder, Ghana)
- Club: Arsenal (England)
- Grow old: 28
- Cap: 34
- Goal: twelfth
Thomas Partey has quietly transformed into one of the most valuable players in the Premier League, and his loss will be felt at Arsenal. Indeed, the Gunners are rumored to be entering the transfer market just to cover the month he could leave. Second in Arsenal’s squad for successful tackles and third for successful dribbles, Partey is a real box-to-box talent that could lead Ghana deep into the knockout stages.
4. Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper, Senegal)
- Club: Chelsea (England)
- Grow old: 29
- Cap: 16
- Goal: 0
Attacking talent tops this list for obvious reasons, but Edouard Mendy has proven himself to be one of the Premier League’s best players since arriving at Chelsea in 2020, and his talent will fully demonstrated in this tournament. Mendy helped propel Senegal to the final of the 2019 competition and they will be eyeing the final hurdle this time around. Statistically, the 29-year-old is one of the top goalkeepers in the EPL this season, ranked in the top five by WhoScored and SofaScore, meaning Senegal is in the best shape in the world.
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3. Sadio Mane (Striker, Senegal)
- Club: Liverpool (England)
- Grow old: 29
- Cap: 80 hats
- Goal: 26
Liverpool are losing their top attacking duo, and Sadio Mane is set to lead an all-star Senegal squad. Mane has looked tired of being overused for Liverpool this season and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Senegal give him a break at times throughout the group stage, but the league could also present an opportunity for his star. The Reds are back to their best: Mane has scored seven goals in his last 11 appearances for Senegal in the league.
2. Riyad Mahrez (Striker, Algeria)
- Club: City of Manchester (England)
- Grow old: 30
- Cap: 70
- Goal: 26
Player of the Year for the reigning African champions, Mahrez has established himself as one of City’s most important players this season and will bring outstanding attacking form to the tournament. Mahrez scored a crucial goal late in the AFCON 2019 semi-final and more important contributions are needed this season as Algeria hopes to defend its title.
1. Mohamed Salah (Striker, Egypt)
- Club: Liverpool (England)
- Grow old: 29
- Cap: 74
- Goal: 45
The star of the match, Mohamed Salah is in spectacular scoring form, leading the Premier League in the number of goals. He will be hoping that form will carry over to AFCON, where Salah will be the top scorer of any player at the tournament: 45 international goals in 74 caps.
Other players to watch at AFCON 2022
- Eric Bailly (Defender, Ivory Coast / Manchester United)
- Baghdad Bounedjah (Forward, Algeria / Al Sadd)
- Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Striker, Cameroon / Bayern Munich)
- Kelechi Iheanacho (Striker, Nigeria / Leicester City)
- Naby Keita (Midfielder, Guinea/Liverpool)
- Wahbi Khazri (Striker, Tunisia / Saint-Etienne)
- Rais M’Bolhi (Goalkeeper, Algeria / Al-Ettifaq FC)
- Andre Onana (Goalkeeper, Cameroon / Ajax)
- Nicolas Pepe (Striker, Ivory Coast / Arsenal)
- Romain Saiss (Defender, Morocco / Wolves)
- Jean-Michel Seri (Midfielder, Ivory Coast / Fulham FC)
- Trezeguet (Midfielder, Egypt / Aston Villa)
- Wilfried Zaha (Striker, Ivory Coast / Crystal Palace)
