Five players to watch out for in AFCON

The
African
Cup
of
Nations
(AFCON)
is
set
to
kick
off
on
January
9
in
Cameroon
as
24
teams
are
set
to
vie
for
the
much-coveted
continental
silverware.

The
tournament
will
see
a
number
of
top
footballers
taking
part
in
it
and
here,
we
look
at
the
five
players
to
watch
out
for.

African
Cup
of
Nations
(AFCON)
2021:
Full
schedule,
timing
in
IST,
venues,
teams,
groups
and
telecast
details

5.
Franck
Kessie
(Ivory
Coast)

Kessie
has
been
among
the
best
midfielders
in
Serie
A
over
the
last
few
years
following
his
move
to
AC
Milan.
The
25-year-old
is
pretty
much
the
key
player
for
the
Rossoneri
and
Ivory
Coast
will
have
high
hopes
from
their
star
midfielder
as
they
eye
their
third
AFCON
title.
Kessie
was
the
joint-top
assist
provider
in
the
2019
edition
of
the
tournament
with
three
to
his
name
and
now
he
has
also
added
goals
to
his
game.

4.
Riyad
Mahrez
(Algeria)

Mahrez
guided
Algeria
to
their
second
AFCON
title
in
2019
and
was
one
of
their
key
players
in
that
run.
They
will
head
into
the
tournament
as
one
of
the
favourites
and
if
they
have
to
retain
their
title,
Mahrez
will
have
to
play
a
decisive
role.
The
30-year-old
is
already
one
of
the
greatest
players
Africa
has
ever
produced
and
another
AFCON
triumph
would
be
a
fantastic
addition
to
his
already
impressive
resume.

3.
Edouard
Mendy
(Senegal)

Mendy
has
been
a
sensational
hit
since
signing
for
Chelsea
in
the
summer
of
2020
guiding
the
Blues
to
their
second
Champions
League
last
season.
Mendy
has
made
it
a
habit
to
win
points
for
his
club
single-handedly
and
will
be
a
key
player
for
one
of
the
tournament
favourites
Senegal.
The
29-year-old
has
been
a
regular
for
his
country
for
quite
some
time
now
and
was
part
of
the
side
that
finished
as
runners-up
in
the
previous
edition
which
took
place
in
2019.

2.
Sadio
Mane
(Senegal)

Mane’s
form
for
Liverpool
has
been
up
and
down
over
the
past
couple
of
seasons
but
he
still
remains
one
of
the
most
dangerous
players
in
the
planet
on
his
day.
Despite
having
a
below
par
season
by
his
standards,
the
29-year-old
has
scored
nine
goals
this
campaign
and
it
goes
without
saying
that
he
will
be
the
key
player
for
a
rich
Senegal
squad
in
the
tournament.

1.
Mohamed
Salah
(Egypt)

Mohamed
Salah
is
arguably
the
best
footballer
in
the
planet
at
the
moment
courtesy
to
his
sensational
form
for
Jurgen
Klopp’s
Liverpool
side.
The
Egyptian
king
has
23
goals
and
nine
assists
across
all
competitions
to
his
name
this
season
and
he
will
carry
the
whole
weight
of
his
country
in
the
tournament.
Egypt
might
not
be
the
strongest
team
in
the
tournament,
but
Salah
has
what
it
takes
to
change
the
whole
equation
on
his
own.