Like every two years, Ligue 1 largely fills the ranks of African selections which are preparing to compete in the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast (January 13-February 11). France 24 has prepared a selection of five players from the French championship who will have the opportunity to be talked about.
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Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo, OM)
It is the rock of the defense of Marseille and the Leopards. Chancel Mbemba, 2023 winner of the Marc-Vivien Foé prize, arrives at the CAN with the intention of making an impression for the return of DR Congo to the competition, after a notable absence in Cameroon.
“Demi-Dieu” has established himself as the right pick for the Marseille club since he arrived free from Porto in the summer of 2022. The big guy brought his serenity, his experience of major events and also a few shots helmet: five goals during the 2022/2023 season.
Read alsoMarc-Vivien Foé Prize 2023: Chancel Mbemba, the quiet strength of OM and DR Congo
He feels so good in the Old Port that he has rejected tempting advances from Saudi Arabia. Although he had a complicated start to the season, he has already got back on track thanks to the arrival of Gennaro Gattuso at the helm. He will be in good shape in Ivory Coast.
Chancel Mbemba with DR Congo : 73 matches, 4 goals, 2 assists.
Amine Harit (Morocco, OM)
In the OM family, I ask the master to play. Confusing, influential, capable of creating differences through passing or dribbling, the Moroccan regularly puts Ligue 1 defenses through hell. He even finally unlocked his goal counter by offering victory against Clermont in December.
In Ivory Coast, he hopes to reconnect the thread of his history with the Atlas Lions. He had experienced the 2022 World Cup as a heartbreak, unfairly deprived of the trip to Qatar by an ankle injury on the eve of the competition. The Moroccan followed the exploits of his colleagues from his hospital bed before joining his teammates to encourage them in the semi-final.
Amine Harit with Morocco: 20 matches played, 1 goal, 5 assists.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, PSG)
Let’s stay on the side of Morocco, but let’s move from La Canebière to the French capital. At 25 years old, Achraf Hakimi is considered one of the best right-backs in the world. He quickly established himself as a senior player, both within PSG and the Atlas Lions.
At the end of 2022, he largely participated in Morocco’s epic during the World Cup in Qatar, ending in a historic fourth place for an African team. If he failed on the podium of the African Ballon d’Or, he will be keen to take his Lions as far as possible, one year before the CAN at home.
Achraf Hakimi with Morocco : 68 matches played, 8 goals, 9 assists.
Moses Simon (Nigeria, Nantes)
He is the man who validated Nigeria’s qualification for CAN 2024. With a penalty goal, he assured the Super Eagles first place in their qualifying group. In the club too, Moses Simon ensures. In his first half of the season with FC Nantes, he has already scored three goals and offered five assists in 17 matches. Enough to make him the only Ligue 1 player called up by Nigeria.
In Ivory Coast, the twirling Canaries winger will be part of an all-star attack, alongside Victor Osimhen (Naples), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen) and Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan). He will have to impose himself, but Moses Simon has the means.
Moses Simon with Nigeria : 61 matches played, 9 goals, 11 assists.
Mory Diaw (Senegal, Clermont)
When he arrived in Clermont, Mory Diaw raised questions. The fault lies in a chaotic career: trained at PSG, he wandered through the Portuguese second division (CD Mafra), the Bulgarian first division (Lokomotiv Plodiv) and the Swiss fourth division (United Zurich). But he quickly silenced the critics. He was even elected Clermontois of the year by the vote of the supporters.
This year, Clermont is struggling and is in last place in Ligue 1. But it’s not really Diaw’s fault, little helped by a sluggish defense. He continues to put out top performances, like that offered against PSG when he managed to keep a clean sheet.
Mory Diaw currently only has one cap, against Brazil last June. But with his consistent performances, many observers believe he deserves more. To the point of threatening the holder and African champion Édouard Mendy? The step remains high but the CAN could offer him the opportunity.
Mory Diaw with Senegal : 1 match played.
All statistics in this article come from Transfermarkt and were taken on January 5.