Meet the future stars of African football

Patrick Power 7 years ago 6.8k |

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The future stars of Africa. BeSoccer

The African continent has always been a great purveyor of talent for European competitions: Eto'o, Drogba and Yaya Toure are just a few examples of players who blossomed away from their homes. Aubameyang, Mahrez, Salah and Sadio Mane, among others, followed. There are many more successors rising through the ranks.

Franck Kessié (Ivory Coast - Milan)

The 20-year-old midfielder showed his quality at Atalanta and Cesena in the Serie A before sealing a move to Milan where he has emerged as a key player for his physicality and eye for the game.

Alex Iwobi (Nigeria - Arsenal)

He has made over 50 appearances for Arsenal despite only being 21 years old. The nephew of an African legend such as Jay-Jay Okocha, he featured for England before making his full international debut with his native Nigeria.

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco - Real Madrid)

The 19-year-old signed his first professional contract with Real Madrid earlier this year and has done a great job to fill in for Carvajal at right-back. He scored for his national team in qualification for the World Cup.

Keita Baldé (Senegal - Monaco)

The youngest player ever to score at least 16 goals in the Serie A. He orose through the ranks of Barcelona's academy before joining Lazio. The 20-year-old is now at Monaco.

Ramadan Sobhi (Egypt- Stoke City)

He was key in reaching the final of the African Cup of Nations in 2017 and extended his contract with the Premier League side thanks to his power and quality down the left flank.

Denis Bouanga (Gabon - Lorient)

The 23-year-old forward is Gabon's future after Aubameyang. He scored five goals in the French third division and 16 in the Ligue 2 with Tours. He is now at Lorient.

André Onana (Cameroon - Ajax)

The 21-year-old goalkeeper reached the Europa League final in 2017 but lost to Manchester United. He has great qualities and needs regular game time after playing at Barca's La Masia academy. He has been called up by Cameroon but he has declined for now.

Amadou Diawara (Guinea - Napoli)

The 20-year-old midfielder was signed by Napoli in 2016 after shining for Bologna. Known for his ability to break down play, he faced Real Madrid in the Champions League, making a decent performance.