Africa rise up! The African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) is upon us and we’re sure that it’s going to be a blast.
As you know, the most popular leagues from Europe are on break. However, the football gods have smiled upon us as AFCON will run from 21st June to 19th July at the Gift of the Nile, Egypt.
Fans of the Premier League will get the chance to see some of their favorite players in action.
Here are eight EPL players to look out for in AFCON:
· Mohammed Salah – Egypt
Considered one of the best players in the world right now, The Egyptian King is no doubt gearing up to lead the Egyptians to dominate their land.
The Liverpool forward is no stranger to the tournament as he has helped Egypt get to the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, and was top scorer during CAF qualification to help the team qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
For his performances, Salah was named CAF African Footballer of the Year, BBC African Footballer of the Year, and was selected in the CAF Team of the Year and Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament.
Likewise, after winning the highly coveted EPL golden boot two seasons in a row, we can’t help but expect great things from the 26-year-old.
· Sadio Mane – Senegal
Another Liverpool forward and winner of the 2018/19 EPL Golden Boot, Mane is definitely one to be feared.
With 60 caps for Senegal since his debut in 2012, and represented the national team at the 2012 Olympics, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He has also been nominated for the CAF African footballer of the year in 2018 and was named in the CAF Team of the Year in years 2015, 2016, and 2018.
· Alex Iwobi – Nigeria
The 23-year-old is sure to bring the heat for Nigeria just like his uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha.
He was a key part of the Arsenal team that finished 5th in the Premier League and made it to the Europa League final. In fact, he was the only Arsenal player that scored in the final as Chelsea went on to hammer Arsenal 4-1.
. He made his senior debut for the Super Eagles on 8 October 2015, replacing Ahmed Musa in the 57th minute of a 2–0 friendly defeat to DR Congo in Visé, Belgium.[32]
He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
· Serge Aurier – Ivory Coast
He is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a right back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Ivory Coast national team.
He made his international debut for the Ivory Coast in 2013 and has earned over 40 caps. He represented the nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning the 2015 edition.
Even though injuries hindered his productivity for Tottenham this season, he would be bringing all the pent-up energy to the AFCON.
· Wilfried Zaha – Ivory Coast
The forward plays for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Ivorian national team.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Zaha grew up in England from the age of four. He made his debut for the England national team in 2012. He made two non-competitive appearances for England, the latter of which came in 2013, before switching his allegiances to the Ivory Coast ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
In January, Zaha was named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his debut against Sweden in a friendly in Abu Dhabi on 8 January, coming on as a half-time substitute and assisting Giovanni Sio’s goal in a 2–1 win.
Three days later, against Uganda at the same venue, he made his first international start and scored his first goal in a 3–0 win.
He is also in top form and scored 14 goals for Crystal Palace.
· Victor Wanyama – Kenya
Wanyama is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the Kenyan national team.
He became the first ever Kenyan player to score in the UEFA Champions League when he scored the first goal in Celtic’s 2–1 win over Barcelona on 7 November 2012.
He has also earned over 50 caps for the Kenyan national team since making his international debut in May 2007 at the age of 15, during a friendly against Nigeria.
The 27-year-old became a captain in 2013.
· Jean Michael Seri- Ivory Coast
The central midfielder plays for Fulham and the Ivorian national team. He has played in several leagues for teams like Porto, Pacos de Ferreira, and Nice.
He received his first senior international call up for the Ivory Coast in an upcoming friendly match against Belgium.
By 2015, Seri made his senior international debut in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Sierra Leone, playing the entire match in the 0–0 away draw. Seri played two of Ivory Coast’s three 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Group C matches.
In November 2015, Seri scored a goal in the 64th minute of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification second round second leg 3–0 home win over Liberia to register his first senior international goal.
· Jeffrey Schlupp – Ghana
The 26-year-old is the left back or winger for Crystal Palace and the Ivorian National team even though he started his career as a striker.
Schlupp made his Ghana debut against Gabon on 15 November, coming on as a late substitute for Prince Tagoe.
He was called to the Ghana squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and Togo in September 2014 where he earned his fourth cap as a late substitute in Ghana’s 3–1 win against Togo in the Blackstars’ last African Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Crystal Palace star scored his first goal for Ghana in a 7–1 win over Mauritius in an African Cup of Nations qualifier on 14 June 2015
Schlupp was part of the Leicester team that shocked the footballing world, by winning the 2015–16 Premier League as rank outsiders with the odds of 5000–1.
With this quality of players spread across Africa, the 2019 AFCON is sure to be an immensely eventful one.
Soccer Gist 