Scout report: Who will be the Africa Cup of Nations’ breakout stars?
The African Cup of Nations is fast approaching — and one of football’s most exciting and intriguing tournaments is set to take hold of fans around the world.
Stars from across the continent will aim to make history for their countries at the prestigious event in Ivory Coast.
Using the Twenty3 Toolbox, we single out five players who will be looking to be among the breakout stars of the tournament…
Ousmane Diomandé
We begin with centre-back Ousmane Diomandé, representing the host nation, Ivory Coast.
The Sporting youngster, 20, joined the Portuguese outfit from FC Midtjylland and has thrived, helping them top the Primeira Liga league after 16 matches.
Diomandé is an excellent reader of the game with remarkable physical attributes — he leads the league for loose ball duels won (33).
Particularly in tournament football, dominating defensive battles will be key to coming out on top.
Importantly, the Abidjan native is measured on the ball. He made 934 successful passes with a laser-sharp 92.94% accuracy, a number only his club partner Gonçalo Inácio could better.
This combination of Diomande’s looming presence, front-footed approach and composure in possession makes for the ideal profile at centre-back.
Already, transfer rumours are swirling up a storm. A successful AFCON would only intensify exit links, as the Ivory Coast international aims for a fairytale tournament.
Bilal El Khannouss
Next is Morocco’s midfield gem, Bilal El Khannouss, touted by many as one of the country’s best prospects of recent years.
Plying his trade in Belgium with Genk, the 19-year-old made a brief appearance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but is expected to play a bigger role at this year’s AFCON.
El Khannouss is a livewire in midfield — already this season he has registered three goals and two assists in the Belgian Pro League.
The slinky playmaker has a keen eye for creating opportunities, with an expected assists total (xA) of 3.35 placing him 12th in the division. He has also completed all 11 of his key pass attempts.
Furthermore, the number of sequences ending in a shot involving El Khannouss (128) was the third-most in the division — showing his importance to Genk’s attack.
Though the Moroccan may have to wait his turn for minutes, expect his time on the pitch to bring excitement for the Atlas Lions.
Omar Marmoush
While Mohamed Salah will deservedly dominate the headlines, Omar Marmoush is a name that could become equally significant for Egypt in this AFCON tournament.
After a disappointing tournament in Cameroon, the 24-year-old has kicked on and enjoyed a stellar start to the Bundesliga season with Frankfurt, scoring seven goals.
Overperforming his xG of 5.33, Marmoush is on a hot run of form and put in a particularly eye-catching performance against Bayern Munich last month.
He opened the scoring and set up two others, as Die Adler demolished the league leaders 5-1 in stunning fashion.
The former Wolfsburg man is relentless going forward, succeeding in 68 of his mammoth 197 attacking duel attempts — a testament to his drive on the pitch.
Marmoush is also a particularly strong ball carrier, completing 38 dribbles and 28 progressive runs, which puts him inside the division’s top five strikers.
His dribbling often causes havoc for defences, opening gaps to exploit, which will be important for the Pharaohs in the absence of consistent creativity.
This term he has assisted 19 shots — eight on target — and will be looking to get Salah involved as much as possible.
Coming into the tournament in fine attacking form, Marmoush will hope to have an impact as Egypt chase AFCON glory.
Lamine Camara
Metz and Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara is another youngster turning heads in Europe.
Despite his club’s struggles, the 20-year-old has been in fine form and that has translated to the national team under Aliou Cissé.
A diminutive box-to-box midfielder, Camara is proficient at both ends of the pitch.
In Ligue 1, he leads the way for Metz when it comes to shot attempts (17), loose ball duels won (16) and through balls completed (five) — a small showcase of his range of skills.
Senegal’s No25 is particularly impressive on the ball, with an ability to turn on a dime in whichever direction, to evade pressure and look forward.
Camara received possession 302 times — the second-most among his team-mates — for the French outfit and went on to make 20 progressive runs.
For Senegal, dominating the midfield battle is crucial, especially when looking to break down teams and make use of every space available to their star forwards.
The Diouloulou native’s dead-ball deliveries are another asset.
He can produce whipped in-swinging corners and also threaten from free-kicks, with two of his three efforts this season hitting the target.
A player with significant potential, Camara could feature heavily for the Lions of Teranga at AFCON, as the champions aim to retain their title.
Mohamed Amoura
A name which will come as no surprise to keen watchers of the Belgian Pro League, Mohamed Amoura is one of Algeria’s most prolific attackers.
For Union Saint-Gilloise, the 23-year-old striker has scored 13 league goals — bettered only by Togo’s Kévin Denkey.
Averaging a division-leading 4.62 shot attempts per 90, Amoura shoots on sight from any and every angle, and for good reason.
The Algeria international is razor-sharp in front of goal, hitting the target a team-high 28 times this season.
An explosive forward, he completed 48 dribbles and 74 touches in the opposition’s box, taking the quickest route to goal whereever possible.
While many will rightfully look to Riyad Mahrez as Algeria’s best forward, Amoura has all the tools and instinctive striking to punish any side at AFCON.
All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.