Star Players
Mohamed Zidan – Egypt
Mohamed Zidan's speedy runs and penetration skills usually prove to be huge assets for Egypt in continental and international competitions.
The Borussia Dortmund striker played a key role in helping the Pharaohs win the 2008 African Cup of Nations and put in some stunning displays against Brazil and Italy in the Confederations Cup one year later.
The 28-year-old, who came through the youth ranks of Egyptian side Masri, spent most of his career in Germany where he played for Werder Bremen, Mainz, Hamburg and Dortmund.
He scored two Bundesliga goals and created several others in the first half of the season.
Zidan will be looking to quell the recent doubts over his commitment to Egypt when he plays in January's Nations Cup in Angola.
Manucho - Angola
When a player from Angola's Petro Atletico attracts a club in Manchester United's class, there must be something special about him.
However, the giant move from a mediocre African team to one of the most successful clubs in Europe was not particularly a flourishing point in Manucho's career.
The towering striker struggled to get a genuine chance at Old Trafford and short-term moves to Panathinaikos and Hull City hardly helped his United career either, before he was sold to Valladolid last summer.
Although he has yet to make any real impact in Spain, Manucho is regarded as the hosts' primary weapon in CAN 2010. With his agility, prowess and a vicious left foot, he forms a lethal partnership with ex-Ahli hitman Flavio Amado.
In Ghana 2008, Manucho scored four goals in as many games, including a contender for goal-of-the-tournament against champions Egypt. He was eventually named in CAF's best eleven in his first Nations Cup appearance.
Chiukepo Msowoya – Malawi
Although he is not considered a definite starter in Phiri's selection, Msowoya proved to be Malawi's hero en route to the finals in Angola.
The promising forward scored six goals in ten qualifiers for his nation, including an injury-time cracker against Africa's best guardian Essam Al-Hadari.
At the age of 21, Msowoya's goalscoring record demonstrates that the ESCOM United hitman has the ability to be a match winner for the Flames.
Apart from his super goal in Egypt's net, Msowoya's input was decisive in Malawi's hard-fought berth to CAN 2010.
He came off the bench to score a memorable double against Guinea in the 2-1 win in September, inspiring Malawi to a priceless victory; their only one in the final qualifiers.
Frederic Kanoute – Mali
It was a memorable moment for Malian football when the French-born striker opted to represent the Western-African nation rather than the European giants in 2003.
In the space of five years, Kanoute dazzled to become Mali's all-time leading goalscorer. His first major-competition appearance saw him finish joint-top scorer in CAN 2004 after hitting fourgoals in as many games in Tunisia.
At club level, Kanoute had decent stints with Lyon, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, but his ongoing tenure at Sevilla is one to remember.
In his first three seasons at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he broke into Sevilla's top-ten all-time scoring charts, helping the Andalucians clinch a host of trophies including back-to-back UEFA Cuptitles.
Off the pitch, Kanoute, a devout Muslim, is renowned for being active in supporting humanitarian causes and charity issues.
Daniel Cousin – Gabon
Daniel Cousin might be struggling to hold down a regular place at English side Hull City but his experience remains vital for Gabon.
The 32-year-old, who made his debut with Gabon in 2000, is an essential member of Gabon's squad for the Nations Cup finals in Angola.
He scored two goals in the qualifiers to help his team reach the biennial tournament for the first time since 2000.
Cousin played for French sides FC Martigues, Chamois Niortais, Le Mans and Lens from 1997 to 2007.
He then moved to Scottish giants Rangers but he remained just one year there, joining English Premier League club Hull in the summer of 2008.
Samuel Eto'o – Cameroon
Samuel Eto'o will be naturally looking to help Cameroon win a fifth Nations Cup title but he has an additional objective in Angola - a personal one.
The Inter Milan marksman is included in CAF's five-man shortlist for the 2009 best player award. He has already won it three successive times in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The 28-year-old will also be looking to prove that he didn't suffer a dip in form after joining Inter from Spanish giants Barcelona in the close season, following a glorious five-year spell with the Catalans.
He scored more than 100 league goals with Barca and also found the net in two Champions League finals when his former team defeated Arsenal in 2006 and Manchester United in 2009.
In Ghana 2008, Eto'o became the Nations Cup all-time leading goalscorer with 16 goals in five tournaments.
Amine Chermiti – Tunisia
At the age of 19, Amine Chermiti made his name as a talented marksman when he hit a precious goal against Ahli in the 2007 African Champions League final, to help his then team Etoile Sahel to an unexpected 3-1 victory at Cairo Stadium.
Chermiti’s performances in the continental competition prompted many European clubs to approach him at the time, and eventually he joined Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
But he made only 10 appearances with the German side who loaned him out to Saudi giants Ittihad by the end of last season.
With Ittihad, Chermiti raised some eyebrows with some scintillating performances as he notched eight goals in nine games. His loan spell should run out by the end of the current season.
The talented striker played for Tunisia U-21 from 2005 till 2008, before receiving his first senior-team call-up in 2008.
Christopher Katongo – Zambia
Christopher Katongo is considered to be one of the most important figures in the Zambian squad. He’s plying his trade at Arminia Bielefeld who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season.
Although he’s not the oldest, Katongo is wearing the captaincy armband at Zambia and he has been a regular starter over the past few years.
He kicked off his career at minnows Kalulushi Modern Stars in his homeland in 1999, and after two years he moved to Zambian Premier League outfit Green Buffaloes.
In 2004, he had his first adventure abroad at South Africa’s Jomo Cosmos, where he made 72 appearances during a three-year period, and his overall scoring tally reached 36 goals.
Katongo, 27, moved afterwards to Danish third tier Brondby in 2007, to spend one season before moving to Germany. He got the chance to play in the Bundesliga last term before Arminia were demoted at the end of the season.
On the international stage, Katongo made his debut with the Chipolopolo in 2003 and now he has 50 caps, having scored 10 goals.
Yakubu – Nigeria
Yakubu Aiyegbeni's hunger for football reached its climax this season after he overcame a serious Achilles injury that sidelined him for nine months.
The Everton striker is now ready to be Nigeria's target man during January's African Cup of Nations in Angola, where the Super Eagles will face Egypt, Mozambique and Benin in Group C. Everton are resigned to losing him during the 21-day-long tournament.
"I will be a bit sad because there are important games coming up here but everybody wants to play for their country. I have to play for them and I am ready for it," he said.
Yakubu started his career at Portugal's Gil Vicente before joining Maccabi Haifa to win two league titles in Israel. He moved to England to help then English second-division side Portsmouth seal promotion to the Premier League.
He notched 16 goals in his first season in the top flight, before joining Premier League rivals Middlesbrough in 2005. His Boro adventure lasted for two years as he moved to Everton to establish himself as a key player under David Moyes.
Tico-Tico – Mozambique
Tico-Tico will be looking to end his glorious international career in the best possible way when he captains Mozambique at January's African Cup of Nations in Angola.
The veteran striker is set to retire from international football after the tournament to bid farewell to an 18-year spell with his national team.
A proven goalscorer, Tico-Tico can be regarded as one of the best players in Mozambique's history. The country's leading top scorer made his international debut in 1992 and went on to win over 80 caps and score more than 30 goals.
The 36-year-old spent most of his club career playing in South African sides including Jomo Cosmos, where he plied his trade for nine years in three spells. He is the South African league's all-time top scorer with 108 goals.
He also played for Orlando Pirates, Supersport United and Maritzburg United in South Africa, Desportivo Maputo in Mozambique, Estrela da Amadora in Portugal and Tampa Bay Mutiny in the United States.
Didier Drogba – Ivory Coast
A living legend for Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba is one of few present players who can easily make Africa's all-time greats list.
A deadly striker who has never failed to reach double figures for the clubs he presented since 2002. After making his mark with Guingamp, Drogba was snapped up by Marseille in 2003, before joining Chelsea one year later.
The move proved to a masterstroke by then-manager Jose Mourinho, as the Drog went on to become one of Chelsea's best-ever attackers, helping the London club clinch back-to-back Premier League titles in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge.
On 41 goals and counting, Drogba is comfortably Ivory Coast's all-time leading goalscorer, having led the Elephants to two straight World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010. He also helped his nation finish second and fourth respectively in the last two CAN finals.
On 41 goals and counting, Drogba is comfortably Ivory Coast's all-time leading goalscorer, having led the Elephants to two straight World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010. He also helped his nation finish second and fourth respectively in the last two CAN finals.
Moumouni Dagano – Burkina Faso
Moumouni Dagano is Burkina Faso’s current top scorer and is perceived to be integral part of the team, having scored 21 goals in 43 appearances on the international stage.
The 28-year-old started his professional career at Ivorian side Stella Club d'Adjamé in 1998 and had stints in many other clubs, some of them in Belgium and France.
Since 2008, Dagano has been plying his trade at Qatar’s Al-Khor, where he has scored 16 goals in all competitions over the past two years.
The prolific marksman made his international debut with Burkina in 1999 when he was a mere teenager, which makes him one of the Stallions’ most experienced players.
He was the qualifiers top scorer with 11 goals, surpassing the likes of Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Frederic Kanoute.
Michael Essien – Ghana
Michael Essien is one of those players who established the Africans’ reputation as agile, tenacious and skillful footballers.
He kicked off his career at French minnows Bastia, joined Lyon in 2003 before signing for Chelsea two years later, and is now considered to be an integral part of the Blues’ squad.
Essien’s versatility enables him to take up both defensive and offensive roles on the pitch. He occasionally plays as a center-half too.
He was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award and the Ballon d’Or, was voted third best African Footballer of the year in 2005 and 2006 and also won the 2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.
Although his success at club level was substantial, he couldn’t lead his country to CAN triumphs over the past years.
Emmanuel Adebayor – Togo
Emmanuel Adebayor made quite a few headlines in 2009. After he scooped the Africa Glo-CAF award, he moved from Arsenal to big-spenders Manchester City in one of the most controversial moves of the year.
The 25-year-old’s latest days with the Gunners were arguably the worst throughout his career, as he fell out with coach Arsene Wenger for no apparent reason to turn into an undesirable figure at Emirates Stadium.
But after he joined City on a five-year deal he has proven his worth with the Citizens in no time, finding the net in his first four Premier League appearances.
Adebayor helped his nation reach the World Cup for the first-time in 2006, even though they lost all group games in Germany.
The former Monaco man, who scored five goals in the qualifiers, has yet to impress in the African Cup of Nations.
Razak Omotoyossi – Benin
Omotoyossi will be hoping his goalscoring prowess can help Benin beat the odds against some traditional powerhouses in Africa, including defending champions Egypt and two-time winners Nigeria.
He notched eight goals in the qualifiers to help the Squirrels finish second in Group D behind leaders Ghana and book a place in the Angola finals. Only four goals separated him from top scorer Moumouni Dagano of Burkina Faso.
Omotoyossi, who switched his international allegiance from Nigeria to Benin, started his career at Sunshine Stars but chose to leave the country in 2004 after being wrongfully slapped with a five-year ban for an alleged assault on a referee.
He represented his adopted country at the 2005 U-20 World Cup in Holland, where he scored Benin's first ever goal in a FIFA tournament.
The 24-year-old played for Moldova's FC Sheriff, Helsingborgs of Sweden and Saudi giants Nassr before joining Metz in the summer of 2009.
Karim Ziani - Algeria
Although he doesn’t score so many goals, Karim Ziani is regarded as the Algerians' talisman thanks to his exceptional ball control and commanding figure in midfield.
Out of the four goals he had scored for Algeria since making his debut in 2003, Ziani hit three in the qualifying campaign to help Les Fennecs reach the 2010 World Cup after a ferocious rally with Egypt.
Born in Sevres, the midfield marvel gradually moved up through a number of clubs in France, starting with amateur side RC Paris until he joined giants Marseille in 2007.
He came close to winning the French Ligue1 with l'OM last term, only for Bordeaux to snatch the title in the final weeks. Ziani's career then took another step forward as he joined German champions Wolfsburg last summer.
Apart from the outstanding achievement of reaching the World Cup with Algeria, Ziani's career high was helping Sochaux win their first trophy in 70 years by lifting the French Cup in 2007.
31 Jul 2010 - 21:3
Cairo
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