)
Seven outstanding under-21 players set to light up the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off and the very best talents from all around the continent will converge in Ivory Coast for a festival of football.
Apart from the biggest stars, usual suspects like Victor Osimhen, Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Achraf Hakimi and many more, there is a younger crop of stars ready to take the continent by storm.
Here are seven outstanding talents in no particular order who are under 21 years old and ready to play a major role in Ivory Coast over the next month.
7 outstanding under-21 players to watch out for at AFCON 2023
1. Dango Ouattara
21-year-old Dango Outtara is already one of the best wingers in African football based on his explosive displays for Bournemouth and Burkina Faso.
)
Bournemouth splashed a club-record €22.5 million fee to sign Dango from Lorient a year ago and he repaid their faith by helping the Cherries escape relegation.
Dango appears to have fallen out of favour under new manager Andoni Iraola though with just four Premier League starts so far this season but he remains a key player for Burkina Faso.
Ouattara has scored seven goals and assisted two in 18 games for Burkina Faso and the 21-year-old will be front and centre for The Stallions at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where they will compete in Group D alongside Angola, Algeria and Mauritania.
2. Yankuba Minteh
Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh has earned the nickname “Messi” which is high praise born out of his performances for club and country.
)
Minteh impressed in Denmark for Odense BK and was snapped up last summer by Premier League giants, Newcastle for €8 million.
The 19-year-old was immediately loaned out to Feyenoord and has hit the ground running in the Netherlands with four goals and two assists in 18 games across all competitions so far.
Minteh only recently made his national team debut in an AFCON qualifier in October 2023, coming off the bench at halftime and scoring for Gambia in a 2-2 draw against the DR Congo.
That is Yankuba’s only national team appearance so far but he is bound to add more at the upcoming AFCON in a difficult Group C along with Cameroon, Senegal and Guinea.
3. Kamaldeen Sulemana
Life at Southampton has not exactly gone according to plan for Ghanaian winger Kamaldeen Sulemana as the club got relegated from the Premier League few months after his €25 million move from Stade Rennes.
)
The 21-year-old has also failed to light up the English Championship where he has contributed three assists in nine starts.
Sulemana remains integral for Ghana though with 18 caps for the Black Stars since debuting three years ago as an 18-year-old.
Kamaldeen would be attending his second AFCON already with the 2022 FIFA World Cup sandwiched in between, a whole lot of experience for a 21-year-old.
Ghana are in Group B with Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique as the Black Stars will be hoping Sulemana can propel them to glory.
4. Ousmane Diomande
20-year-old central defender Ousmane Diomande is the rave of the European transfer market at the moment with the best clubs in the world all linked to him based on his performances for Sporting Lisbon.
)
Diomande is in his first full season in the Portuguese top flight having joined in January from Midtjylland and already has 20 appearances across all competitions, scoring twice.
The young centre-back only recently got a look-in at the national team level and now has three caps for Ivory Coast.
Diomande will be hoping to replicate his imperial club form at the AFCON for the host nation in a difficult group against Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
5. Simon Adingra
As far as talented Ivorian youngsters go, Simon Adingra is at the top of the pile as he dazzles week in week out for Brighton in the Premier League.
)
The 21-year-old has scored five goals and assisted three for Brighton in all competitions as he has become a key player for Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
Adingra has played five games for Ivory Coast so far in what is a competitive frontline for the Elephants as they host the AFCON.
6. Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr has been a key figure in the cog of Tottenham Hotspur, helping Ange Postecoglou’s reach greater heights than previously expected.
)
Tottenham recognized Sarr was special early, paying €16.9 million to sign him from Metz in the summer of 2021 and loaning him back to the French club.
Sarr is in his second season at Tottenham and has already played 16 Premier League games compared to 11 in the totality of last season.
The 21-year-old utility midfielder has also become an important player for Senegal with 18 appearances for the Teranga Lions so far.
)
Although Sarr recently picked up an injury which threatens his place as a starter at the AFCON in 2024 where Senegal will play in Group C against Cameroon, Gambia and Guinea, the 21-year-old will still prove integral.
7. Fares Chaibi
There is a new generation of Algerian ballers taking the place of the old guard and Fares Chaibi is leading the charge by becoming the heartbeat of the team.
)
The creative midfielder has lit up the German Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt so far this season with two goals and nine assists in 22 games since joining from Olympique Lyon last summer.
He has also played eight times for Algeria, returning two goals and will be primed to add to his tally when they play Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania in Group D.
Chaibi's profile is that of a skilful number 10, gliding past players with considerable ease and setting up his teammates thanks to great vision and passing ability.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)