The ten African stars to follow during CAN 2022 in Cameroon

The joy of the Algerians after the goal of Riyad Mahrez's victory against Nigeria in the semifinals of CAN 2019. Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

Text by: Pierre Fesnien Follow

7 mins

While the 2022 African Cup of Nations begins this Sunday in Yaoundé with the Cameroon-Burkina Faso match, RFI takes a look at the ten African stars who will animate the competition.

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• Riyad Mahrez (30, Algeria)

He had been the great architect of

in Egypt by sending them in particular to the final thanks to a magnificent free kick against Nigeria in additional time of the meeting.

The 30-year-old Algerian winger would therefore see himself achieving the double, he who is already coming out of a very good 2020-2021 season with his club Manchester City, winner of the English championship and finalist of the Champions League.

With five goals scored in six matches played in 2021 with Algeria, Riyad Mahrez is undoubtedly the technical leader of the team led by Djamel Belmadi.

If it is in leg, Algeria can hope to go far, especially since it is able to unblock any situation with a flash of genius.

• Mohamed Salah (29, Egypt)

After a more than successful season with 31 goals in 51 matches in 2020-2021, the start of the current financial year is even more sparkling for the Egyptian who has already scored 23 goals in 26 games with his club Liverpool.

Mohamed Salah is therefore in the shape of his life to attack this CAN 2022 and he will undoubtedly be keen to make people forget the 2019 edition that the Pharaohs had played at home without succeeding in shining.

Author of two goals in the group stage, Salah and his teammates

in the round of 16.

By bringing an 8th African Cup to Cairo, the Liverpool striker would definitely become the greatest player in Egyptian football history.

• Sadio Mané (29, Senegal)

Less prolific scorer than his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané is nonetheless an exceptional defender blaster.

The Senegalese who remains the number one offensive asset of the Teranga Lions will want to forget the failure of CAN 2019 which saw Aliou Cissé's men bow in the final against Algeria.

During this edition, Mané had scored three goals but there is no doubt that for his third CAN, his main objective is above all to bring back to Dakar the first African Cup of Nations in Senegal's history.

Senegalese Sadio Mané congratulated his teammate Mohamed Salah after scoring his 100th Premier League goal on October 16 at Watford.

REUTERS - DAVID KLEIN

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (32, Gabon) 

He was one of the big absentees from the last CAN in Egypt since Gabon had failed to validate his ticket for the competition. This time the Gabonese striker is back for the fourth CAN of his career but the adventure starts badly

when he arrived in Cameroon, as did his teammate Mario Lemina.

Probably forfeited for his team's first game, if Aubameyang is fit to play the following matches, it remains to be seen in what form he is as the player is currently going through a difficult patch with Arsenal.

His coach Mikel Arteta has excluded him from the squad for several matches and according to some reports he could leave the club as early as this winter.

The fact remains that with an inspired and decisive Aubameyang, the Panthers will have every chance of leaving Group C where they will face the Comoros, Ghana and Morocco.

• Édouard Mendy (29, Senegal)

The Chelsea goalkeeper was the big revelation of 2021. The London club owe much

him .

He was also crowned best goalkeeper of the season by Uefa in August 2012 and nominated among the best goalkeepers in the world of Fifa.

His performances every weekend are making him a world benchmark in his post.

If Senegal goes far in the competition, its last bulwark will certainly have something to do with it.

• Sébastien Haller (27, Ivory Coast)

At 27, the Ajax striker from Amsterdam will play his first African Cup of Nations and he could do a lot of good for the Ivorian attack. The Franco-Ivorian chose to play for the Elephants in November 2020 and he did not wait long to make the powder speak since he scored his first goal with the Greens in his first match against Madagascar. With three achievements in eight matches for the Ivory Coast jersey, Sébastien Haller has become a sure bet in the Ivorian squad. He is currently walking on the water with Ajax for whom he has already scored 22 goals this season in 24 matches including 10 goals in just six Champions League matches. Skillful in front of the cages, excellent head and physically very powerful, Sébastien Haller could well be theone of the key men of the Elephants during this CAN 2022.

The joy of Ivorian striker Ajax Amsterdam, Sebastien Haller, congratulated by midfielder Davy Klaassen, after scoring his second goal against Besiktas, during their group match of the Europa League, on November 24, 2021 in Istanbul OZAN KOSE AFP

• Achraf Hakimi (23, Morocco)

Transferred this summer from Inter Milan

, the Moroccan side showed good things at the start of the season before clearly marking time as the end of the year 2021 approaches. He is nonetheless one of the best players in the world at his post.

His offensive contribution, his speed and his quality of center make him one of the executives of the Moroccan selection.

• Wahbi Khazri (30, Tunisia)

The Tunisian attacking midfielder is a regular at the African Cup of Nations.

This edition will mark his fifth participation in the competition that he has not missed once since 2013. Khazri is going through difficult times with his Saint-Étienne club which is vegetating in the depths of the L1 standings, but he is nevertheless there

with 10 goals scored in 26 matches.

Capable of real strokes of genius, he can turn a meeting on his own and there is no doubt that he will see himself winning his first CAN with Tunisia. 

• Thomas Partey (28, Ghana)

He is the rock of the Ghanaian midfielder and one of his most experienced players at the international level of the Black Stars.

With 15 matches played this season with his club Arsenal, the defensive midfielder has yet to win over time with his club but he is a must in the selection and he will have the difficult task of getting Ghana back on track after a Disappointing CAN 2019 which stopped in the round of 16 against Tunisia.

• Karl Toko-Ekambi (29, Cameroon)

The Cameroonian striker, already crowned African champion with his country in 2017, would certainly see himself doing it again this year at home.

The Olympique Lyonnais player is in any case in good shape since he has already scored 13 goals in 29 matches with his club.

It will be one of the main offensive weapons of the Indomitable Lions who can also count on players like Vincent Aboubakar or Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

►Also read: CAN 2022: schedule and results of the Africa Cup

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