CAF has confirmed a star-studded line up of African football legends for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, to promote the tournament and enhance the brand awareness of the flagship continental sporting event.
The CAF Legends, comprising of iconic former players were selected based on their popularity, participations in major competitions, social influence among others.
Each Participating Member Association (PMA) is represented by one of their famous players who has a rich history in continental football, with the exception of hosts Cote d’Ivoire with two. They will be attached to their teams and will be involved social activations around the tournament.
Flying high the colours of ‘Les Elephants’ of Cote d’Ivoire are former captain and two-time CAF Player of the Year, Didier Drogba and former offensive midfielder Salomon Kalou. Kalou was part of the Cote d’Ivoire that won their last TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
Holders Senegal will find comfort in former captain Mamadou Niang, who led the Teranga Lions at the 2012 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon & Equatorial Guinea. He was also present in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Other eye-catching African legends set to join their teams include Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan, four-time winner of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations – 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Also on the list is Nigerian midfield generalissimo, Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha who won the continental trophy in 1994 and former Zambia captain, Christopher Katongo. The latter guided the Chipolopolo to continental glory in 2012.
Siphiwe Tshabalala, the first player to score in Africa’s first-ever FIFA World Cup in 2010 is the representative of South Africa just as former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah, who represented Ghana at all age groups.
TotalEnergies CAF Legends
Karim Ziani (Algeria)
Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco “Akwa” (Angola)
Moumouni Dagano (Burkina Faso)
Heldon Ramos (Cape Verde)
Joel Epalle (Cameroon)
Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire)
Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire)
Shabani Nonda (DR Congo)
Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
Rodolfo Bodipo (Equatorial Guinea)
Pa Modou Jagne (Gambia)
Stephen Appiah (Ghana)
Pascal Feindouno (Guinea)
Adama Tamboura (Mali)
Souleimane Brahim (Mauritania)
Manuel Jose Luis Bucuane “Tico Tico” (Mozambique)
Nourredddine Naybet (Morocco)
Ronald Ketjijere (Namibia)
Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha (Nigeria)
Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)
Mrisho Ngassa (Tanzania)
Karim Haggui (Tunisia)
Christopher Katongo (Zambia)
