The ESPN African Cup of Nations Best XI team features stars integral to Ivory Coast’s historic title win and Nigeria’s journey to the final. The squad is dominated by key players from the continental showpiece’s top two sides with a major omission being Victor Osimhen.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was heroic for surprise bronze medalist South Africa. He kept five clean sheets with the familiarity of an all-Mamelodi Sundowns defence. Williams also saved four penalties for an AFCON shootout record against Cape Verde.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong also featured as he was a defensive lynchpin, with Nigeria only conceding once from open play before the final. He also scored spot-kicks in victories over South Africa and the hosts.
Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie overcame a difficult start to get himself into the team. His tenacity and 86th-minute equaliser against Mali kept the Elephants alive. In the final, Kessie levelled the score to inspire a comeback win.
Recovering from injury, Sebastien Haller impacted when it truly mattered. His semi-final goal defeated DR Congo before scoring the final’s winning goal. Other standouts were angular Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena and shock 34-year-old Golden Boot winner Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea.
Ademola Lookman also emerged as a standout performer at AFCON, earning his place in the Best XI. Despite a somewhat inconsistent career with Nigeria previously, Lookman’s AFCON display demonstrated his maturity and impact. His creativity and skill troubled opposing defenders and he also displayed a clinical finishing ability. Notably, Lookman excelled in crucial matches, scoring all of Nigeria’s goals in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, taking advantage of the attention focused on teammate Osimhen.
The full list includes:
Ronwen Williams (Goalkeeper, South Africa),
William Troost-Ekong (Centre-back, Nigeria),
Kialonda Gaspar (Centre-back, Angola),
Logan Costa (Centre-back, Cape Verde Islands),
Simon Adingra (Right-wing, Ivory Coast),
Teboho Mokoena (Midfielder, South Africa),
Franck Kessié (Midfielder, Ivory Coast),
Samuel Moutoussamy (Midfielder, Congo DR),
Ademola Lookman (Left-winger, Nigeria),
Emilio Nsue (Striker, Equatorial Guinea),
Sébastien Haller (Striker, Ivory Coast)
Substitutes:
Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria),
Arthur Masuaku (Congo DR),
Gelson Dala (Angola),
Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt),
Khuliso Mudau (South Africa),
Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast),
Jean-Michael Seri (Ivory Coast),
Mothobi Mvala (South Africa).
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