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No, Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Edouard Mendy or Riyad Mahrez are not on the list. These big names in world football have certainly shone in club or in selection this year, but other African players, less publicized, have also come out of line. Small overview.
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Aaron Boupendza (Gabon / Hatayspor then Al-Arabi from Doha)
The Gabonese striker (25) has a dented course. Arrived at the Girondins de Bordeaux in 2016, then loaned to Pau, Tours, GFCO Ajaccio and even Feirense, a Portuguese Ligue 2 club, the former CF Mounana player had hardly been talked about. It took him yet another exile, this time in Turkey, to reveal himself.
With Hatayspor, Aaron Boupendza scored 22 goals in 38 games, greatly contributing to the club’s good season. Performance that caught the attention of recruiters. Result: the international, who will play in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (CAN) with the Panthers, recently joined the club of Al-Arabi (Qatar).
- Franck Kessié (Ivory Coast / AC Milan)
Without his team’s defeat in Cameroon on November 16, the Ivorian midfielder from AC Milan could have ended the year by qualifying for the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. He can take comfort in thinking that ‘he signed this year the best season of his professional career. Not only was his role decisive in the qualification of the Ivorian side for the CAN, but he also actively participated in the comeback of AC Milan in the Champions League, after seven years of absence.
Trained at Stella Club d’Adjamé and revealed to Atalanta Bergamo, Franck Kessié, author of 13 goals in Serie A, was one of the pillars of the Lombard squad. Courted by Paris-Saint-Germain, which offers him an annual salary of 8 million euros, the player has not yet extended his contract with his club, in the race for the title of champion of Italy.
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Inter Milan then Paris-SG)
He is only 23 years old, but has already worn the colors of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and now Paris-Saint-Germain. The Moroccan defender, even if he has had a complicated year with the French club, succeeded perfectly in his integration by winning in the typical team of coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Holder within a club that did not hesitate to pay 60 million euros to bring him in, Achraf Hakimi also convinced Vahid Halilhodzic. The coach of the Atlas Lions has made it one of his pillars, with a view to the next events: the CAN and the last round of qualifying for the World Cup, next March.
- Mohamed Sherif (Egypt / Al-Ahly from Cairo)
Al-Ahly ceded his title of champion of Egypt to Zamalak, his great rival Cairo, but the club of Mohamed Sherif compensated by winning, for the tenth time in its history, at the head of the African Champions League . The striker is no stranger to this success, since he finished top scorer in the competition, with six goals, including one in the final against the South Africans of Kaizer Chiefs (3-0).
The Egyptian international has also demonstrated his effectiveness in the league, finishing top scorer in the 2020-2021 season (20 goals). And despite the interest of extremely wealthy clubs in the Persian Gulf, Mohamed Sherif has decided to stay at least one more year with Al-Ahly.
- Issiaka Samaké (Mali / Stade Malien then Horoya AC)
Issiaka Samaké (27) did things in a big way before leaving Mali and Stade Malien in July to engage with Horoya AC (Guinea), one of the best clubs in West Africa. The international defender ended the 2020-2021 season with the title of champion and winner of the Mali Cup, scoring his team’s three goals in five minutes against FC Binga (3-2). Before that, he had contributed to the good course of the Eagles of Mali, third in the African Nations Championship (CHAN), in Cameroon.
- Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia / Esperance de Tunis)
At 22, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane is one of the most promising players of his generation. The midfielder, a Tunisian international for more than two years, has already aroused the interest of Lille, Lyon and Istanbul’s Galatasaray. Appreciated for his technical quality, he is also gifted in front of the goal.
While awaiting a possible departure of Esperance from Tunis in the summer of 2022, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane continues to win titles with the Blood and Gold: winner of the championship and the Tunisian Super Cup in 2021, he also reached the FIFA Arab Cup final with Tunisia, against Algeria (0-2).