Five young footballers to watch at Afcon

As the kickoff of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) gets closer, we look at five young players who might set the tournament alight.   

The 34th edition of the showpiece is to start on Saturday with hosts Ivory Coast taking on Guinea-Bissau.  

While coaches have opted to pick experienced campaigners in a bid to win the tournament, a few deserving youngsters have not been left out. 

Here is our pick:  

Mohammed Kudus, 23, Ghana   

Having missed the previous edition of the Afcon due to injury, the West Ham United footballer will be eager to make his mark in the continental showpiece this year.   

Kudus is key to the Black Stars’ ambition of winning the tournament for the first time since 1982. He will go into the competition on the back of a successful campaign with West Ham, where he has scored nine goals in 24 matches in all competitions.   

Pape Matar Sarr, 21, Senegal  

Pape Matar Sarr has been unbelievable for his Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, which resulted in the London club handing him a new six-and-a-half year contract.   

He is going to add the firepower Senegal need to defend their title.  

Lamine Camara, 20, Senegal   

Camara is making a name for himself in Europe where he plays for French side Metz.   

The midfielder, who is the reigning Caf Young Player of the Year, has featured 17 times for the Ligue 1 outfit and has a single goal and a couple of assists.   

He made his debut for the Senegal senior national team a year ago and has amassed eight caps and has two goals to his name.   

He played a pivotal role in Senegal winning the U-20 Afcon last year and the African Nations Champions (Chan) in 2022.   

Abde Ezzalzouli, 22, Morocco   

Abde Ezzalzouli was one the two young African stars who lost the Caf Young Player of the Year gong to Camara during the awards ceremony late last year.   

The youngster, who plays club football in Spain’s La Liga and is a regular for Real Betis, has impressed and worked his way up to the senior Morocco side from the U-20s and U-23s.   

He made his debut under coach Walid Regragui in 2022 and has won seven caps for the senior national team.   

Ezzalzouli was part of the history-making Morocco side at the 2022 Fifa World Cup and featured three times.  

Oswin Appollis, 21, SA   

If he gets the nod to play games from Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, the Polokwane City player will be a handful for defenders because of his pace and skill and he is not afraid to take people on.   

Appollis has played just once for Bafana, making his debut in November against Rwanda during the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.   

However, he is not new to the national team set-up as he has played for the U-20s and U-23s.