Former Chelsea and Man United wonderkids, an ex-England Under-21 forward starring in Serie A… while Tanzania’s squad has four non-league players! The players you DIDN’T know were headed to AFCON

Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez and Mohammed Kudus will be among the top names hoping to lead their nations to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations over the next month.

The tournament will kick-off on January 13 with the host nation Ivory Coast facing Guinea-Bissau in the opening match.

Several of the 24 teams playing at the tournament will also feature players who have faded from view or have switched nationalities in recent years to launch an international career.

Tanzania, who will be playing at the continental showpiece for the third time, have also named several non-league players in their squad.

Mail Sport takes a closer look at some of the names who you might not be aware will be playing in the Ivory Coast.

Senegal will be hoping to retain the title they won for the first time back in 2022

Bebe – Cape Verde

A decade on from his infamous spell at Manchester United, Bebe will be hoping to shine at his first international tournament.

The forward, now 33, was a shock £7.4million signing for Sir Alex Ferguson‘s side back in 2010.

Bebe only made seven appearances for the Red Devils after being plucked from obscurity, following a recommendation from Ferguson’s then assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.

He was loaned out to Besiktas, Rio Ave and then Pacos de Ferreira while at Man United before a permanent departure to Benfica in 2014, before further temporary spells.

Bebe has finally found a home after a nomadic career, having now chalked up 182 appearances for Rayo Vallecano, who are currently mid-table in La Liga.

Now aged 33, Bebe had initially hoped to be called up to Cape Verde’s squad for the 2021 AFCON but missed out on the squad.

He eventually made his debut for Cape Verde in 2022  after making the switch from Portugal, where he had won six caps for their Under-21 side.

Bebe qualified for Cape Verde through his parents, who had abandoned him at a young age, leading to him growing up in a homeless shelter in Portgual.

He has scored five goals in 16 appearances for the national side.

Manchester United flop Bebe, centre, will make his debut in an international tournament

Bebe, now playing for Rayo Vallecano, will line-up for Cape Verde after switching nationality

Ademola Lookman – Nigeria

Lookman is another player heading to their first senior international tournament.

The 26-year-old, who was born in Wandsworth, previously won 11 caps for the England Under-21s, before taking the decision to switch nationality to Nigeria in 2022.

Lookman could have a vital role for the Super Eagles in the Ivory Coast, with the attacking burden having increased ahead of the tournament.

It follows injuries to Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface and Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, with both forwards having been ruled out through injury.

Lookman heads into the tournament on a high after a series of impressive performances for Atalanta. The forward is the club’s top scorer in Serie A this season with seven goals in 18 games.

His performances have led to links with moves back to the Premier League, where he previously played for Everton, Fulham and Leicester. 

Lookman has talked up the chances of three-time winners Nigeria, who are bidding to win AFCON for the first time since 2013.

Ademola Lookman will carry an attacking burden for Nigeria after injuries to star forwards

‘Just like the rest of my team-mates, we are already prepared, it has been a good few days training here in Abu Dhabi preparing for AFCON,’ Lookman told Nigeria’s team media, after scoring four goals in a warm-up match against UAE side Al Gharbia.

‘Obviously with the mindset that we want together and fight for each other and looking to do big things in Ivory Coast.

‘Just like everyone, do my best for the team and bring my A-game to this tournament for Nigeria and the fans. We’ll see as a team where that takes us.’

‘As a squad and as a team, we have got a strong mindset and we are together, you know like the slogan let’s do it again, we are fighting to do it again

‘I think as a team like I said we are together, we are behind each other. As individuals, we believe in ourselves and as a team, we believe in ourselves, that is the mindset.’

Gael Kakuta – DR Congo

One-time Chelsea wonderkid Kakuta will form part of a DR Congo squad which also contains Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and West Brom’s Grady Diangana.

Kakuta, now 32, has represented 12 different clubs during his professional career which has seen him play in England, France, China and Spain.

The midfielder is now in his third spell at French side Amiens – who are currently 12th in Ligue 2 – and is due to make his debut at an international tournament.

It seems remarkable his major tournament bow will come 17 years after his controversial move to Chelsea from Lens.

Ex-Chelsea wonderkid Gael Kakuta, pictured playing for Lens in 2022, will make his major tournament debut

Kakuta had joined Chelsea as a teenager in 2007 and scooped awards in the club’s academy.

The attacking midfielder was famously banned for four months by FIFA, with Chelsea placed under a transfer embargo due an alleged breach of contract with his former club Lens. Both sanctions were ultimately overturned on appeal.

Kakuta was unable to live up to the lofty expectations on his shoulders at Stamford Bridge, as well as at international level with France.

He had been named as the player of the tournament at the Under-19 European Championships in 2010, as a France squad containing Antoine Griezmann and Alexandre Lacazette beat Spain 2-1 in the final.

Remarkably, Kakuta will be looking to service Cedric Bakambu – a semi-final goalscorer in that tournament – as DR Congo target a third AFCON triumph.

The duo both switched nationality to represent DR Congo and are among the team’s most capped players.

Iliman Ndiaye – Senegal

Ndiaye has had a remarkable journey to AFCON, where he will represent the reigning champions Senegal.

Born to a Senegalese father and French mother in Rouen, he had grown up in France and was part of Marseille’s academy.

He later joined his family in Senegal, before moving to England where he initially was unable to speak the language.

Ndiaye then enjoyed a rise after joining the Rising Ballers semi-professional team and later the Boreham Wood youth system in 2016. 

He signed for Sheffield United three years later and scored 22 goals in 88 games for the Blades, including being a key player in their promotion campaign from the Championship last season.

Iliman Ndiaye, centre, has said representing Senegal at AFCON is a ‘dream’ for him

Ndiaye expressed hope the tournament could help his form at Marseille after a difficult start

Ndiaye has struggled since making a £20m move back to Marseille this summer, scoring just once this season.

The 23-year-old, who played three games for Senegal at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, has admitted that featuring at AFCON is a dream.

‘It was a dream for me. All these years I’ve watched it, I’ve always hoped to be in it one day,’ Ndiaye told RMC Sport.

‘For me, it’s a big step in my career.

‘At the moment, AFCON is in January, and I think that will help me for the rest of the season with Marseille.’

Tanzania’s non-league quartet

Surprisingly Ndiaye will not be the only player with a connection to Boreham Wood to feature at AFCON.

Mo Sagaf, who has made six starts for the National League side, is one of four members of Tanzania’s squad at the tournament who currently ply their trade in English football’s non-league.

Haji Mnoga and Tarryn Allarakhia also play in the National League for Aldershot and Wealdstone respectively. Mnoga is currently on loan at Aldershot from Portsmouth.

Wealdstone welcomed the call-up for their winger Allarakhia, who could make his international debut at the tournament.

‘Rewarded for his brilliant form in the National League of late, this is his first call-up for the Taifa Stars and he’ll be looking to make his mark in the prestigious international tournament,’ Wealdstone stated.

‘This is Tanzania manager Adel Amrouche’s first tournament in charge of the Taifa Stars and it’s the only the third time that the nation have qualified.

‘Allarakhia could be the first ever Stones to play in the tournament, former winger David Sesay was called up by Sierra Leone for the 2021 tournament but didn’t play a game.’

Tarryn Allarakhia could make his international debut for Tanzania at the upcoming tournament

Haji Mnoga (right) is at Aldershot on loan from Portsmouth (Pictured in an FA Youth Cup clash against Liverpool for Pompey back in 2018)

Ilkeston Town, who currently play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, are also represented with midfielder Ben Starkie turning out for Tanzania.

The 21-year-old, who has a dual registrations with Alfreton Town, featured in their pre-tournament friendly against Egypt where he took on Premier League stars Salah and Elneny.

Reuters reported that Tanzania’s squad also includes Miano van den Bos and goalkeeper Kwesi Kawawa.

Dutch-born Van den Bos plays in the sixth tier of Spanish football, while Kawawa plays in the fourth division in Sweden.

Mohamed Elneny – Egypt

Elneny is very much a forgotten man at Arsenal with the 31-year-old making only four largely fleeting appearances for the Gunners this season in all competitions.

The 31-year-old has largely been a fringe player since joining Arsenal back in 2016. Elneny signed a one-year contract extension last February, but has been linked with a move away from the club to due his lack of game time.

Elneny, however, has remained an important presence in Egypt’s national team throughout his time at the Emirates.

He heads into the tournament as Egypt’s most experienced player, boasting 95 caps for his nation. The expectation would be that Elneny would reach the century milestone during AFCON, with Egypt among the favourites for the tournament.

While Mohamed Salah will carry the burden as Egypt’s captain and star man, Elneny will be leaned on to help guide the Pharaohs through the tournament.

Both Salah and Elneny are AFCON veterans, with the two having been part of Egyptian squads to have finished as the runners-up in 2017 and 2021.

The tournament in the Ivory Coast could represent their last chance to win AFCON. 

Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny will be a key figure for record seven-time AFCON winners Egypt

The Arsenal midfielder has struggled for fitness throughout the campaign for Mikel Arteta’s side

Notable Premier League flops… 

Cameroon’s squad for the tournament includes two players who had brief and underwhelming spells with Tottenham.

Clinton N’Jie spent a single season playing for Spurs during the 2015-16 season, making 14 appearances in all competitions and failing to score.

N’Jie then spent a year on loan at Marseille before joining the French club permanently, before moves to Dynamo Moscow and the Turkish side Sivasspor.

Now 30, N’Jie is part of Cameroon’s squad at the tournament where he will aim to add to his 10 goals for his nation in 42 caps.

He is joined in the squad by Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, who played 27 times for Tottenham over three years and scored a single goal in the Champions League for the club.

Nkoudou was a treble winner with Turkish side Besiktas in the 2020–21 season, but now plays for Damac in the Saudi Pro League.

Former Tottenham winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, right, is part of Cameroon’s squad

Ex-Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, now playing for Trabzonspor, will represent hosts Ivory Coast

The 28-year-old is the league’s third highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Ivory Coast will be represented by another player to have flopped in North London.

Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, who joined the Gunners for a then club record £72m in 2019, is part of the host’s squad.

The 28-year-old currently plies his trade for the Turkish side Trabzonspor after leaving Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer. Pepe has scored twice in seven appearances this season.