On his debut for Sandals For Goalposts, Surya Solanki takes a look at six of the best African youngsters.
Tunisian tormentor Youssef Msakni in full flight.
In all fairness, Africa has often been underrated in terms of producing and rearing world-class players. Only a small percentage of football fans actually acknowledge the continent as a virtually the best talent producer after South America and, of course, Europe. These fans often overlook the plethora of successful players reared by Africa over the past years.
Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba was the backbone of Chelsea’s attack for several years, eventually leading the club to a historic Champions League. Drogba’s former Blues teammate, Ghana’s Michael Essien, who has seen a spiral downward in his career over the past 12 months or so due to various fitness issues, can still be considered as one of the best modern-day defensive midfielders to have ever graced the football pitch. Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o has been one of the prime reasons for FC Barcelona’s rise to footballing greatness. There have been several other equally talented and successful stars like Seydou Keita, Nwankwo Kanu and Mahamadou Diarra, who were one of the world’s finest in their respective positions during their primes.
