Amr Obaid (Cairo)
The African Cup of Nations is full of dozens of stars in the strongest European leagues, of great international fame, in addition to many professionals within the borders of the “African Continent”, especially those shining in the continental club championships, and African football fans are waiting to follow the “clash of the big boys” that is taking place this time. In the colors of the national teams’ shirts, away from “international club battles.”
Analysts may disagree about the name that tops the “list of shining stars” in the African Cup, because according to market value and age, Nigerian Victor Osimhen comes out on top with a value of 110 million euros at the age of 25 years. He is the “Calcio” champion last season with Napoli, and the maker of… The big difference in returning “Al-Samawi” to the podium, and the winner of the Best in Africa 2023 award, despite his clear decline in the recent period, but the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, who has 65 million euros and is 31 years old, steals a lot of attention, because of his presence with Liverpool in the “Premier League.” Because of the fame the Reds and the English Premier League have beyond description in the current era, as well as its recent brilliance and breaking several records.
Salah is equal to the Norwegian Haaland, the Manchester City star, at the top of the Premier League’s top scorers with 14 goals, and he is also equal to the Englishman Watkins, the Aston Villa striker, at the top of the list of goal makers, with “8 assists”, and the “Egyptian King” as he is called. Given by Liverpool fans, great credit is given to the “Reds” holding on to the top of the English Premier League so far, as the “Captain of the Pharaohs” is experiencing a period of brilliance that has restored to him much of his vitality, which is what the Egyptian fans hope will be reflected in his leadership of the national team to the African podium, after his absence. long.
It is true that Osimhen is not experiencing his best period with Napoli this season, in contrast to the fantastic performance they showed together previously, but he remains a very influential factor in Nigeria’s attack, as he topped the list of top scorers in the African Cup qualifiers with 10 goals, including a “hat-trick” and a “super hat-trick.” In front of Sao Tome and Principe, he is the fourth all-time top scorer for the “Eagles” with 20 goals in only 27 matches, and he will soon seize the top of the historical list if he continues his wonderful harvest with the “Greens”. Osimhen was one of the members of the list that finished “Cannes 2019” in third place, and he seems greedy. With the “Green Eagles” battalion in regaining a title that has been absent for a full decade.
In the past few months, Guinean Serho Geraci has grabbed most of the limelight in Germany, after his remarkable scoring brilliance since the start of the current version of the “Bundesliga”. He was only ceded to the top scorers in the German League due to injury, as he is only 4 goals away from the “terrifying” English scorer. » Harry Kane, who enjoys the presence of a “complete battalion” in Bayern Munich, which increases the ease of his scoring mission, and Geraci’s goals are one of the most prominent reasons for Stuttgart’s presence in the German “top triangle”, including two “hat-tricks” and 3 “doubles”, and many clubs are competing with each other. To kidnap this 27-year-old Guinean star, whose market value jumped from 14 to 40 million euros in just 6 months, and the task of the Guinean and Geraci national team certainly seems “very difficult,” due to their presence in the third group with Senegal and Cameroon, the cup champions in 2021 and 2017, but “National Elephants” will be a strong rival.
Among the Moroccan “World Cup battalion”, which many nominate to win the African title, appears Paris Saint-Germain star, Achraf Hakimi, who has the second highest marketing value in that edition, with 65 million euros, after Osimhen and on par with Salah, and the 25-year-old is betting on his continued brilliance. With the “Atlas Lions”, after the full and influential participation with the “Lions” in the 2022 World Cup and “Ijaz” obtaining fourth place, Hakimi is also experiencing a period of stability with the “Princes Team”, the leader of the French League, and the local Super Champion a few days ago, who is in Round of 16 in the Champions League, and Hakimi is at the top of the scoring charts with Saint-Germain, by making 4 goals and scoring 3 in League One.
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