African roots, European stars: Ultimate African super team from Euro 2024

Glitz and glamour define this year’s Euro tournament, and trust me, the talents of African origin that are being showcased on the global stage cannot be ignored.

Over 42 players are of descent and light the pitch while other countries prepare to represent their nations in the Euro 2024. Let’s develop a hypothetical super team of players with African roots and examine how they would fare on the global stage.

Who should form the starting XI in this African super team? Let’s break down potential selections for each position while considering overlying factors like club form, tactical fit, and international experience. 

Goalkeeper

The goalkeeping station needs to be fuller to draw from. However, there are bodies available to fill in the void:

Brice Samba – Congo-Brazzaville

While there isn’t much to write about the goalkeeping docket, Brice Samba is a massively underrated goalie.

The lack of top-notch keepers eligible to play for African national teams and plying their trade in some of Europe’s best leagues could be rated as inadequate talent development strategies.

Given that students may opt for grademiners essay writing service to get a well-researched and analyzed paper, the football academies and national teams should have specialized scouts and trainers for goalkeepers.

Although we have given considerable thought to Switzerland’s Mvogo Yvon for inclusion in this theoretical team, Samba’s recent form makes him more appropriate.

The Congo international will probably be an understudy for Les Blues, who will hand the gloves to Lens’ Mike Maginam. His impressive displays this season have yielded 15 clean sheets to secure the 2020/21 Goalkeeper of the Year accolade in Ligue 1.

Defenders 

For a long time, African defenders have faced slack for failing to meet the highest standards in the league. However, we must remember that the continent raised some of the top defenders in the footballing world, including Taribo West, Sammy Kuffour, Kolo Toure, and Wael Gomaa. Here are our top picks:

Jeremie Frimpong - Ghana

Off the back of a ‘near’ invincible season with Die Werkself, it is only right to select red-hot Jeremie Frimpong for the right-back slot. The pacey right-back was a key figure in their unbeaten season in the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso. 

Apart from representing the Oranje, he holds Ghanaian roots and could represent the Three Lions. Despite representing Oranje, he shared his love for the motherland. He’s been battling for a starting spot at the Euros and is third on the pecking order behind Dumfries and Geertruida. He was an unused sub in their shocking 3-2 loss to Austria. 

William Saliba – Cameroon 

One of the points of discussion for Les Blues’ defensive outlook was whether William Saliba was ready to come into the starting XI. On the other hand, Deschamps had options to ponder: either to use Ibrahim Konate, Dayot Umpecano, or Jonathan Clauss.
Yet one of the coach’s final choices to bring Saliba to play with Umpecano started to lose. Not only was Saliba playing on the left attack’s right end of the pairing, but the defender brought his club form with him to the tournament, offset by a recent French 1-1 draw to Poland.

His strong Cameroonian roots are evident in his recent trip to the country before the Euros. He previously met with FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o. 

Antony Rudiger – Sierra Leone

Partnering Saliba is current Champions League winner Antony Rudiger with Real Madrid. The German international hasn’t made it a secret about his adoration for Sierra Leone, his mother’s motherland. He set up various charity projects in the West African nation. 

Representing Germany at the Euros, he set to advance past the group stages while leading Group A with 7 points. 

Nuno Mendes – Angola

After a breakout season at Sporting CP, Nuno Mendez was set for greatness while making his move to PSG. He has become a mainstay for the Portuguese side, instrumental in their Euro campaigns while forcing an own goal from Robin Hranac in their dramatic 2-1 late win against the Czech Republic. 

Born in Sintra in the Lisbon District of Angolan, Mendes grew up to represent Portugal on the international stage. 

Midfielders

Heading into the midfield, we are spoiled for choice with the wealth of talent. Choosing the right combination is just as hard as choosing writing assistance – you may need to scan a grademiners review or more to decide. In this case, we have extensively considered current form, tactical flexibility, and what each player would bring to the side to come up with the following midfield.

Here is our dynamic engine room lineup:

Eduardo Camavinga – Angola 

After a terrific season for Real Madrid, Camavinga became a mainstay despite being shoehorned by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. 
His story is quite sad; he was raised in a refugee camp by a mixed family with Angolan and Congolese roots. The multi-talented midfielder is a key addition to the squad with bursts of energy and experience. 

Jamal Musiala - Nigeria

Jamal Musiala’s brilliance thrusts our creativity and vision from the middle of the park into an advanced area, and it’s fascinating to know that a player of his quality slipped through the net at an England youth level. The little magician has an illustrious heritage: born in Stuttgart to a Nigerian-British Yoruba father and a Polish grandmother.

Amadou Onana – Senegal 

Lastly, our midfield trio is completed by the EPL Everton midfield player Onana. The player was born in Dakar, Senegal, to a Senegalese mother and a Cameroonian father. In addition, he is a very tough, versatile player whose defensive resoluteness and tackles are on another level.

It is not a secret why the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Aston Villa are all hovering over his Everton contract.

Attackers

Blessed with many attackers, picking only three players to take on the mantle is hard. But here is what we went with:

Bukayo Saka - Nigeria

England doesn’t deserve such a gem in their hands. Most pundits and fans were calling for his omission from the squad after England’s poor start to the tournament. 

However, he is the second-highest goal scorer for the Three Lions, bringing both an attacking threat and defensive duties to the side. He was born in England to Yoruba parents and represented the Three Lions at the youth level. 

Lamine Yamal – Morocco 

The lightning speed and dribbling ingenuity from this side to start counterattacks on the left wing will be provided by Spain international Yasmine Lamal. Despite playing his off position, he possesses the talent and intelligence to make it work. He was born in Mataro to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinea mother.  

Kylian Mbappe – Algeria

Arguably, the hottest free agent in the market set to join Real Madrid finishes our star-studded lineup. He is arguably France’s most threatening attacker with his burst of pace and finishing technique. Despite losing to Argentina in the finals of the World Cup, he put up a Man of the Match performance while netting a hat-trick.