The AFCON 2023 is is less than a week away folks, and some of the best attacking talents in world football will be on show in the Ivory Coast.
The best of the bunch, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah will be playing for Egypt and the AFCON 2023 betting odds say he is the man to beat in the race for the top scorer prize, but there are plenty of other hotshots around and, here at SBOTOP, we’ve picked five strikers who may be able to live with Salah, and maybe even outshine the Liverpool legend.
Sadio Mane – Senegal
The first on our list is Salah’s old club mate Sadio Mane. The two played together in an irresistible front three in Jurgen Klopp’s title winning team, alongside Roberto Firmino; and he scored 90 goals in 196 games for the Reds. Mane converted the winning kick in the 2021 AFCON final penalty shootout and had words of consolation for Salah who was on the losing side.
He left Anfield for Bayern Munich but then had a disastrous time there, spectacularly falling out with the club and allegedly punching team-mate Leroy Sane in the aftermath of a Champions League defeat to Manchester City. He now plays his football in the Saudi Pro-League with Al Nassr where he has scored eight goals in 18 appearances and Mane still looks sharp enough to lead the Lions of Teranga into another strong campaign.
Victor Osimhen – Nigeria
One of the most sought after strikers in world football, Osimhen led Napoli’s attack in their successful 2023 Scudetto campaign. He won the Best African Player of the Year in 2023 and compares well with other young strikers such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and Osimhen has been hailed as ‘the future of Nigerian football’ by team mates. His pace and eye for goal have brought him 57 goals in 96 games for Napoli and 20 in 27 for his country.
Napoli are struggling to live up to their 2023 success this season and, even though he recently signed a new contract, Osimhen is not guaranteed to be in Naples at the end of the January transfer window as Europe’s biggest clubs are watching him very closely. In the meantime, Nigeria are strong contenders for the 2023 AFCON title and they have one of the biggest stars; of that there is no doubt.
Serhou Guirassy – Guinea
VfB Stuttgart’s 27 year old hit man is having the season of his life, scoring 17 goals already in the Bundesliga campaign with only Harry Kane ahead of him. A strong, bustling striker with serious pace and shooting ability, Serhou Guirassy is strong in the air too and he will be a handful for any defence. His exploits in the German top flight have attracted a lot of attention and Stuttgart will do well to hold on to their prize asset in the January window.
VfB are in third place in the Bundesliga table and they will be hoping Guinea have a good competition and Guirassy’s focus is on his international chances, and not on his next move in his domestic career.
Sebastien Haller – Cote D’Ivoire
One striker sure to make his fair share of AFCON 2023 highlights is the Ivory Coast’s front man Sebastien Haller. The Borussia Dortmund star is back to full fitness after suffering from testicular cancer in 2022 and it would be a fantastic story if Haller were to fire his country to glory in front of their own fans. He is a proven goal getter, scoring in all six of Ajax’s group games in the 2022 Champions League and, at 29 years of age, he is now in his prime. His pace and strength will stretch any defence and if Haller gets some momentum he will be difficult to stop.
Mohammed Kudus – Ghana
The youngest star in our line-up is West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus who, at 23 years of age is Ghana’s most exciting player. His livewire displays for Ajax persuaded the Hammers to shell out a cool £38m on the player who can operate as an attacking midfielder, a Number Ten or a right winger and his flexibility is a real bonus for Ghana boss Chris Hughton, who knows how hard it is to make an impression in the Premier League.
But Kudus has done just that with his electric pace and superb ball control. He has scored six goals in 16 appearances for the Hammers, and if Ghana go deep into the competition he will give plenty of defenders the frights.
So there you go friends; our five selections for goal scorers who can live with the great Salah. Can any of them outscore the Liverpool man? My money is on Osimhen.
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