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SPORT
January 19, 2013
Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Stars to watch at South Africa 2013 The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off today in South Africa with 16 teams participating in the continental showpiece. As expected, the host, South Africa, will battle debutants, Cape Verde, in the opening game today and our correspondent, IFEANYI EDUZOR, takes a look at some of the players that could spring surprises at the tournament.
Ryan Mendes (Cape Verde)
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Victor Moses (Nigeria)
V
ictor Moses (born on December 12, 1990) is a Nigerian footballer who plays alongside John Mikel Obi for Chelsea. Moses can play in a variety of positions, but he is mostly
played as a left winger. He has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, but opted to play for the Nigerian national team as opposed to being fully capped for England.
t 22, Ryan Mendes is one of the most gifted players in the Cape Verde squad and he is expected to lead the attack for his country. He signed for Lille in 2012 and has been described as a player with great potential, who is good in the air and uses body strength, to shield the ball and bring it under control. He scored three goals during the 2013 AFCON qualifiers and proved to be a permanent danger in front of goal across the campaign. The winger is likely to be the top attraction for local fans during the tournament.
with Katlego Mashego. Chabangu combines pinpoint passing with an exceptional creative ability. Though he may not be a prolific scorer, but he can manufacture goals for Bafana Bafana, as his record stands at 2 goals in 14 appearances for the national side.
Paul Koulibaly (Burkina Faso)
Chabangu
Tresor Mputu (DR Congo)
K
oulibaly started his career with EFO in Burkina Faso and also played for Libyan sides Al Nasr, AlIttihad and Asswehly before joining Romanian side Dynamo Bucurest in 2012. He also won the Romanian Super cup in his
M
putu was born on December 10, 1985 in Kinshasa and he is a striker who has been described by former Cameroon and Congo coach, Claude Le Roy, as being “the next Samuel Eto’o”, who he picked for the 1998 World Cup in France as a 17 year-old. In 2009 and 2010 he captained TP Mazembe to
Mputu
first season with the club. The 26-year-old made his debut for the Stallions in 2006 and will be appearing at the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time after taking part in 2010 and 2012. He is the brother of Burkina Faso international striker Pierre Koulibaly. back-to-back CAF Champions League titles. Through the years Mputu, has been linked with several European clubs including Arsenal, but in August 2010, Mputu received a 12-month global ban following his aggressive actions toward a referee during a match between TP Mazembe and Rwandan army side APR FC.
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t 24, Kwadwo Asamoah has emerged as one of the key players of Juventus FC, after years of growth in Udinese, and will lead Ghana to the 2013 AFCON behind striker and team captain, Asamoah Gyan. Asamoah who is appearing in his fourth AFCON tournament has become one of the engine rooms of Black Stars attack and is expected to propel the team to their fifth Nation’s Cup trophy.
Asamoah
Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia)
M Mendes
Lerato Chabangu (South Africa) Gervinho (Cote d’ C Ivoire) habangu plays as a striker and midfielder for Premier Soccer League club Moroka Swallows of South Africa. He was part of Bafana Bafana’s 2008 Africa Cup of Nations squad and has been one of their leading lights this season, forming a dangerous partnership
Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana)
ayuka is a Zambian footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League side Southampton. Born in Kabwe, Mayuka began his career in Zambia at the Lusaka Academy at the age of 11. He debuted for the senior side in the 2007 COSAFA Cup, scoring the second goal in a 3–0 rout of Mo-
zambique. He scored the first goal for Zambia in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and scored the winner in the famous 1-0 victory over Ghana in the semifinals, thereby leading Zambia into the finals. He then played all 120 minutes against Ivory Coast in Zambia’s penalty shootout victory against the runners- up.
G
ervais Lombe Yao Kouassi , better known as Gervinho is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forward for Arsenal and the Côte d’Ivoire national team. Since joining the national team in 1997, he has made 41 appearances and scored important goals for the Elephants. He was named in the Ivorian senior squad for the first time for the friendlies against Angola and Qatar in November 2007. The gifted player has announced his readiness for the 2013 Nations Cup by scoring many goals in friendly matches played by the team in preparation for the continental championship.
Gervinho
Mayuka
Abdelhamid El Kaoutari (Morocco)
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bdelhamid is a French-born Moroccan defender who was born in Montpellier, France. He has spent his career coming through the youth ranks before eventually making the step-up to first team football in 2008. At 5ft 11, the 22-year-old isn’t the tallest of defenders, but his pace along the flanks has often left teams exposed. The defender who has been capped three times by the Atlas Lions played his first match for Morocco on June 4, 2011 against Algeria and it is expected that the dependable de-
El Kaoutari
fender will co-ordinate the defence of his team when hostilities begin today in South Africa.