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| L-R: Vincent Aboubakar, Yacine Brahimi and Yaya Toure. |
Each competition has star name players to keep a close eye on and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament is no exception.
The best African players will be unleashed in Equatorial Guinea, and they will no doubt lighten up the continent with their skills, artistry, capabilities and industry.
It should be filled with glitz and a touch of grandeur as the biggest football competition in Africa takes centre stage.
Sixteen African Nations would congregate in Equatorial Guinea gunning for the AFCON trophy, it certainly won't come easy but rather it will be the amount of work put in by game-changers for their countries.
Players will strut their stuff, looking to shoot their Nations to the top, which would all but make for a great spectacle to behold.
It will now boil down to who shows up, dominating with sheer individual brilliance, before the bests can now be sifted out as outstanding ones from all others who competed.
Below are the three players who are expected to glitter at this year's Nations Cup tournament.
1. Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
Undoubtedly the biggest star that will be on show in Equatorial Guinea, the cameras would pan on the Manchester City midfielder as the main star of the tournament.
Toure will be going into the tournament on the back of having won four consecutive African Player of the Year Awards.
He is the only African player in the shortlisted 23-man team for the Ballon D'Or award last year.
So his quality has never been questioned. In the absence of Ivory Coast legends like Didier Drogba, the onus will now be on Toure to step up to the plate as the main man of the Elephants.
2. Yacine Brahimi(Algeria)
Brahimi has steadily climbed the ladder and is now seen as a top player in the African continent.
Only in December last year, Brahimi won the BBC African Player of the Year award, pipping Nigeria's Vincent Enyeama to the top honours.
Brahimi was one of the people who excelled at the 2014 FIFA World cup tournament in Brazil where they got to the second round of the tournament.
He has settled at Porto FC, scoring a spectacular goal in the Champions League campaign this season.
He is a player to watch out for in Equatorial Guinea and would definitely light up the tournament with his runs down the wings.
3. Vincent Aboubakar(Cameroon)
A young lion has been born, and he has shown the true qualities needed to be a truly a member of the Indomitable Lions.
Aboubakar showed what a key player that he is for Cameroon, emerging as their top scorer during the qualifiers.
He single-handedly wreaked havoc on Ivory Coast during the qualifiers, and the 24-year old Aboubakar is definitely one of the players to watch out for.
With no big-player like Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon' s hopes are firmly pinned on Aboubakar to get the goals for the team.
The opening ceremony of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations takes place today, January 17, at the Estadio de Bata, before the opening match of the tournament between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo.
The best African players will be unleashed in Equatorial Guinea, and they will no doubt lighten up the continent with their skills, artistry, capabilities and industry.
It should be filled with glitz and a touch of grandeur as the biggest football competition in Africa takes centre stage.
Sixteen African Nations would congregate in Equatorial Guinea gunning for the AFCON trophy, it certainly won't come easy but rather it will be the amount of work put in by game-changers for their countries.
Players will strut their stuff, looking to shoot their Nations to the top, which would all but make for a great spectacle to behold.
It will now boil down to who shows up, dominating with sheer individual brilliance, before the bests can now be sifted out as outstanding ones from all others who competed.
Below are the three players who are expected to glitter at this year's Nations Cup tournament.
1. Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
Undoubtedly the biggest star that will be on show in Equatorial Guinea, the cameras would pan on the Manchester City midfielder as the main star of the tournament.
Toure will be going into the tournament on the back of having won four consecutive African Player of the Year Awards.
He is the only African player in the shortlisted 23-man team for the Ballon D'Or award last year.
So his quality has never been questioned. In the absence of Ivory Coast legends like Didier Drogba, the onus will now be on Toure to step up to the plate as the main man of the Elephants.
2. Yacine Brahimi(Algeria)
Brahimi has steadily climbed the ladder and is now seen as a top player in the African continent.
Only in December last year, Brahimi won the BBC African Player of the Year award, pipping Nigeria's Vincent Enyeama to the top honours.
Brahimi was one of the people who excelled at the 2014 FIFA World cup tournament in Brazil where they got to the second round of the tournament.
He has settled at Porto FC, scoring a spectacular goal in the Champions League campaign this season.
He is a player to watch out for in Equatorial Guinea and would definitely light up the tournament with his runs down the wings.
3. Vincent Aboubakar(Cameroon)
A young lion has been born, and he has shown the true qualities needed to be a truly a member of the Indomitable Lions.
Aboubakar showed what a key player that he is for Cameroon, emerging as their top scorer during the qualifiers.
He single-handedly wreaked havoc on Ivory Coast during the qualifiers, and the 24-year old Aboubakar is definitely one of the players to watch out for.
With no big-player like Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon' s hopes are firmly pinned on Aboubakar to get the goals for the team.
The opening ceremony of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations takes place today, January 17, at the Estadio de Bata, before the opening match of the tournament between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo.