Izuchukwu OkosiPrime Business Africa, in this article, presents the most outstanding players from the African continent for their clubs and countries in the year 2022.
Players from Morocco dominated the ‘Best XI’ for their splendid performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
GK: Youcine Bounou (Morocco)
In goal is Sevilla and Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yaccine Bounou who was a key part of the Atlas Lions that made history by reaching the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The feat was the first time an African and Arab nation would reach that far in the tournament.
Bounou made elastic saves and displayed great ball distribution which aided the team’s counter attacks.
DEF: Ashraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Ashraf Hakimi is unarguably one of the world’s best rightbacks, even before the World Cup began.
The Paris Saint Germain defender then justified his huge ratings in Qatar with his performance.
Hakimi was also very important for his national team during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon earlier in the year under review.
DEF: Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)
Chelsea defender, Kalidou Koulibaly, was the captain of the Teranga Lions of Senegal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in the absence of injured inspirational captain, Sadio Mane.
Koulibaly led the team in the field as they reached the round of 16 before they were beaten 3-0 by England.
Before the World Cup in Qatar, Koulibaly was massive for the African champions as they won the AFCON in Cameroon.
DEF: Roamain Saiss (Morocco)
The Wolverhapton Wanderers defender was his team’s captain at the World Cup in Qatar.
The centreback was massive for his team and even carried playing despite not being fully fit when injuries ravaged the team and they were without ample substitutes on the bench.
DM: Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
Morocco’s defensive midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat, laid claims to being one of the world’s best defensive midfielders and certainly the best on the African continent during the World Cup.
The tackling and ball-winning abilities of the midfielder won the hearts of many all over the world and suggests that clubs around Europe would soon be queueing up for his signature.
DM: Thomas Partey (Ghana)
Arsenal and Ghana superstar, Thomas Partey is the glue that binds his club and national team.
Partey and his teammates did not particularly have a memorable Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon after their early elimination.
The Black Stars however qualified for the World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Nigeria with Partey scoring the crucial goal in the reverse leg of the playoffs in Abuja.
The West Africans were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup.
For Arsenal, he has proven to be indispensable for the Gunners who are leading the Premier League table and looking good for their first league title since the 2003/2004 season.
READ ALSO: Chelsea Star Ziyech Vows Never To Play For Morocco Again After AFCON Snub
ATM: Mohamed Kudus (Ghana)
Ghana midfielder Mohamed Kudus is definitely going to be in the African Team of the Year after a splendid campaign with Dutch Eredevisie champions, Ajax.
Kudus as expected, is attracting offers from some of the best clubs across Europe after his Champions League group stage performances.
FWD: Hakimi Ziyech (Morocco)
Another Moroccan superstar who must be grateful to God that he made the World Cup squad.
Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech had a running battle with the former head coach of the national team and even retired from international football.
However, following the sack of the ex coach, the Morocco Football Federation appointed Walid Regragui who was in charge of Wydad Athletic, winners of the CAF Champions League.
The new man in charge of the team extended an olive branch to Ziyech to return to the fold for the World Cup and the winger accepted the offer.
FWD: Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Sadio Mane was an undroppable player for Liverpool (unless when injured which was rare) before the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Cameroon.
Mane emerged the Player of the Tournament in Cameroon and helped his country qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
In July 2022, the forward who left Liverpool for Bayern Munich in the transfer window, was awarded the African Footballer of the Year prize.
Mane painfully missed the World Cup despite being named in the final squad due to a knee injury.
STR: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen is the best African striker on current form based on League exploits across Europe.
The Super Eagles star was surely missed at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon as he recovered from a serious facial injury.
Osimhen’s Italian Serie A side, Napoli refused vehemently to release him for the tournament albeit the player himself was adamant that he could play for his country.
Osimhen has scored 11 goals for Napoli this season in the Serie A.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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