Top five midfielders to watch at the 2023 AFCON tournament

The 2023 AFCON tournament is officially sixteen days away from its official kick-off. The tournament will be hosted in Ivory Coast from January 13th to February 11th.

Soccernet.ng looks into five midfielders who can benefit their respective countries. These players range from midfield destroyers to press-resistant players who can break defences with jaw-splitting passes.

1. Kamory Doumbia – Mali, Brest

The 20-year-old Brest midfielder is one to watch out for at the next AFCON tournament. The Malian scored four goals in his club’s last league game against Lorient and can play across several positions in the middle of the park. Alongside Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, Doumbia can help Mali reach the latter stages of the competition as he has scored five goals and created another two in just two Ligue 1 starts.

2. Mohammed Kudus – Ghana, West Ham United

The 23-year-old midfielder has scored six goals in fifteen games for David Moyes’s side and is a versatile option to play in the centre of the park or out wide, an added advantage for Ghana’s coach, Chris Hughton. Kudus possess explosive pace, quick feet, and an abundance of strength and will be one of the exciting players to look out for in Ivory Coast next year.

3.Sofyan Amrabat – Morocco, Manchester United

Amrabat came to light at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, anchoring the midfield, with his most notable game coming against Spain as he helped the Atlas Lions to the semi-final of the tournament for the first time in the history of an African Nation. Popularly known to break up opposition attacks and win the ball back for the team, the Moroccan will be one to watch as he looks to put up yet another impressive display for his National side.

4. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – Cameroon, Napoli

A monster at beating the press, Zambo Anguissa is a joy to watch whenever he’s on the pitch. The 28-year-old has accrued over forty caps for Cameroon, scoring five times. With Bryan Mbeumo on the flank and Vincent Aboubakar up-front for the Indomitable Lions, Anguissa is primed to be at his best to supply the attackers as they aim to win the AFCON tournament next year.

5. Alex Iwobi – Nigeria, Fulham

If there’s been any time for Alex Iwobi to step for the Super Eagles, it’s now. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a decent start to life in Fulham, back to being a regular for Marco Silva’s side, with fairly decent numbers to back those up. He’s been entrusted by Jose Peseiro as a central midfielder in the previous two games, and with the attacking prowess that lay ahead of him in Boniface and Osimhen, Iwobi has no option but to show up at the AFCON tournament next year.