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“It's no coincidence that the biggest stars in today's big English, German, and Spanish teams come from Africa”
Jose Mourinho is the ambassador for Football.com.
The Africa Cup of Nations, one of the most important competitions in the world of football, is about to begin. Powerful national teams, full of players of enormous quality, will face off in Ivory Coast, and I'm sure it will once again be a very competitive event, but also very balanced and with an unpredictable winner.
In other words, we're going to have some very interesting matches, which I will try not to miss.
Mourinho on his love for African players
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African players have always thrilled me, and I really think that having an African striker at my disposal has contributed to my success. It was a feeling that began at FC Porto with Benni McCarthy, and from then on, there have always been African players who played an important role in my achievements.
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15:41 - 24.12.2023
My saddest Boxing Day, by José Mourinho
Part of an exclusive series of articles from José Mourinho, brought to you by Football.com
I'm afraid that I might forget some of them, but John Obi Mikel, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Samuel Eto'o have all played a key role in my team's triumphs.
Today, even though they are not from African countries, Romelu Lukaku or Tammy Abraham’s roots are on this continent, and this keeps my initial passion alive.
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Their technical skills, physical power, creativity, and imagination turn African footballers into "diamonds" who, if well-honed, i.e., adapted to the demanding tactical discipline of football, especially European football, make them key elements in any team.
African stars are well-represented in big European leagues
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It's no coincidence that the biggest stars in today's big English, German, and Spanish teams come from the African continent. But it's not easy to discipline them, as they quickly forget the "real football" and return to the "playing football" of their childhood.
Part of an exclusive series of articles from José Mourinho, brought to you by Football.com
But they learn quickly, and some are capable of "suffering" for the team. I remember, for example, Eto'o's "sacrifice" in the memorable Champions League semi-final in Barcelona, where he had to become... a left-back!
Which country is Mourinho backing for AFCON glory?
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In this year's AFCON, there will be many other "champions," such as the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, the Senegalese Sadio Mané, the Nigerian Victor Osimhen, the Cameroonian Vincent Aboubakar, the Algerian Riyad Mahrez, or the Moroccan Azzedine Ounahi, to prove it and, consequently, to leave their coaches with huge headaches given the difficulty in replacing them.
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13:58 - 04.12.2023
"Football is a collective game" - Jose Mourinho
Part of an exclusive series of articles from Jose Mourinho, brought to you by Football.com
In my case, given the limitations of Roma's squad, losing Obite N’dycka, who, despite being born in France, will be representing Ivory Coast, really hurts. My feelings are divided between wanting him to return to Roma as soon as possible and the joy of seeing a young player of mine become an African champion.
Of course, the home advantage is always important, and that's why I'm risking a prediction and think I can give some favoritism to Ivory Coast, but the balance will be enormous, and teams like Egypt, Morocco, or Algeria are also potential candidates to at least reach the final on February 11, as they all have players with immense talent and a lot of European experience. And in the final, as always, the details will decide the winner.
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I hope you won't hold this against me if I say that I would like to see the Nigerian team, coached by my compatriot José Peseiro, or the Egyptian team, led by Rui Vitória, in that final. And I hope that Pedro Gonçalves and his Angola team go as far as possible. None of them will have an easy task, but who knows, maybe the Portuguese will spring a surprise here too.
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