Morocco is gearing up to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations this winter.
As the tournament fast approaches, we’ve taken a look at some of the young stars expected to catch the eye.
From the hosts’ superstar attacking midfielder, to a Premier League youngster looking to lead a relative underdog to a successful campaign. Here are seven players aged 20 and under that you should be keeping a close eye on at this year’s Afcon.
Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco)
Okay, so we can’t exactly lay claim to discovering Eliesse Ben Seghir. But he could just be one of the stars of this tournament at only 20 years old. The Moroccan has already secured a €30million move to Bayer Leverkusen from Monaco, and racked up over 100 professional appearances for club and country. He’s considered to be one of the brightest young talents in world football at the moment.
A right-footed attacking midfielder also capable of playing on the left, Ben Seghir is an excellent dribbler and a creative force in this Atlas Lions side. He links up well with the likes of Bilal El Khannous and Ismael Saibari behind Youssef En-Nesyri. It’s not hard to see why they’re favourites to lift the trophy, particularly as the hosts this time around.
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal)
It takes serious quality to force yourself into the first-team plans of the European Champions at just 17 years old. But that is exactly what Ibrahim Mbaye has managed to do at Paris Saint-Germain this season. Although aided by Les Parisiens suffering something of an injury crisis, Mbaye has already featured in 14 games this season. That was after becoming the youngest player to start a game for PSG last year, aged just 16 years, six months and 23 days.
Now, Mbaye was capped by France at every level from under-16 to under-20. And he’s also eligible to represent Morocco. But Mbaye has been called up to the latest Senegal squad for the first time. A two-footed winger with pace to burn, he’s completed nine take-ons and created nine chances in his 450 Ligue 1 minutes so far this season. And he’s already being touted as the long-term heir to Sadio Mane’s throne as the talisman of this Senegal side.
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)
Much like his namesake Mbaye, Ibrahim Maza has represented his country of birth up until U20 level before switching allegiance. The Berlin-born forward scored four goals in 13 appearances for Germany’s tourh sides, but now represents Algeria. At club level, he plays alongside another big name on his list, joining Ben Seghir at Leverkusen.
Maza is a versatile forward, capable of scoring and creating. He racked up nine goals in 51 games for former club Hertha Berlin and has already scored twice for Leverkusen. He’s also completed 3.39 take-ons per 90 minutes, the third-most in the Bundesliga this season. Maza is not yet a guaranteed starter for Vladimir Petkovic, with six caps for Algeria so far. But he could be an interesting option from the bench for the Greens this winer.
Benjamin Fredrick (Nigeria)
Brentford fans may well be looking to keep an eye on Nigeria’s performances at this winter’s Afcon. Young defender Benjamin Fredrick could be set to feature regularly at the tournament. The 20-year-old is yet to feature for the Bees’ first season, but impressed enough during a loan spell from Nasarawa United two seasons ago to be offered a four-year contract with the Premier League club.
Fredrick is currently on loan at Belgian Pro League club Dender EH, making 14 appearances so far this season. He’s averaging 1.6 tackles and 2.7 clearances per 90, performing well. Fredrick made his Nigeria debut in a friendly agains Jamaica in May and has now clocked up six appearances for the Super Eagles. He appears to be trusted to start alognside seasons professionals like Calvin Bassey and William Troost-Ekong in the backline.
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Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)
RB Leipzig have carved out a reputation for developing some of the brightest young prospects in football over recent seasons. In Yan Diomande, they may have just found their next superstar, having triggered his €20m release clause in the summer. The winger has already clocked up three goals, two assists and 29 completed take-ons in the league this season. The latter is the most in the Bundesliga.
The 18-year-old has carried that impressive domestic form into his burgeoning international career. He scored in each of his first two appearances for Ivory Coast, against Seychelles and Kenya, respectively. The reigning champions have a raft of talented attackers to choose from, but Diomande’s form may just be too good to ignore at this point.
Gaoussou Diakite (Mali)
Another player currently in the Red Bull system is Mali striker Gaoussou Diakite. The winger is currently out on loan at Lausanne-Sport in the Swiss Super League from RB Salzburg. Diakite is enjoying some fine form so far too. He’s scored four times in 10 league games to add to the two he has netted in the Conference League.
This strong start to life in Switzerland comes on the back of a productive loan spell at Red Bull club FC Liefering. He racked up 13 goals in 34 appearances last term for the Austrian second-tier side. His performances have also convined Mali boss Tom Saintfiet to call him up to the Mali senior squad for the first time last month after scoring twice in four appearances for the country’s U23 squad.
Noah Sadiki (DR Congo)
Sunderland fans will be devastated to see Noah Sadiki leave them to join up with DR Congo for Afcon this winter. Only captain Granit Xhaka and goalkeeper Robin Roefs have clocked up more minutes so far this season for the Black Cats than the 20-year-old. The ball-winning midfielder has proven vital in the club’s fantastic early season form, clocking up 16 interceptions — the fifth-most in the league.
Sadiki was part of Union SG’s Belgian Pro League-winning side last season and forced himself into the DR Congo’s starting XI off the match of his magnificent displays. He’s already clocked up 12 appearances alongside the likes of Watford’s Edo Kayembe and Montpellier’s Nathanael Mbuku in the Leopards’ midfield. He may turn 21 four days before the tournament begins, but we’re sure you’ll forgive us for his inclusion here.
