The AFCON tournament over the years has produced many great young talents in the past years. Mention can be made of Taye Taiwo in 2006, Andre Ayew in 2008 and Krepin Diatta in the last edition in Egypt.
The 2021 AFCON scheduled for Cameroon will have lots of young players below the age of 20 participating. Sportsworldghana.com takes a look at the best people should closely watch.
-Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana, Stade Rennes)
The Ghanaian winger needs little introduction, he has been a dominant figure in the French Ligue 1 this season for Stade Rennes where he has netted four goals and provided two assists in 18 games.
Sulemana can torment any defence on any day with his skills, pace and artistry. He will be one of the players ro keep an eye on in the tournament.
-Ebrima Darboe (Gambia, AS Roma)
The talented box to box midfielder is a whole package and a player to watch in the heart of the Gambian midfield.
At just 20 years, Darboe has tasted both Serie A and Europa Conference League action with AS Roma and he has been tipped as one of the stars for the future.
Certainly, this could be a tournament for Darboe to stake a claim and also show to the whole of the world that he is a superb player who is destined to raise the flag of Gambia on the football map.
-Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia, Manchester United)
Mejbri is one of the best players in the Manchester United Academy and the 18-year-old can feature in the offensive and central midfield roles.
He has been very key for Manchester United Under 23 side in the Premier League whereas he also boasts of one senior team appearance.
Mejbri turned down the chance to represent France at Under 21 level as he chose to play for Tunisia which is the country of his parents.
-Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Ghana, Dreams FC)
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder was voted as the best player exactly a year ago in the Under 20 AFCON in Mauritania as Ghana lifted the trophy.
Fatawu has already earned two caps for Ghana at senior level and he could be one of the wild cards of Milovan Rajevac.
Domestically, he has been on top form at Ghana Premier League side Dreams FC where he is on loan as he has netted five goals so far this campaign.
-Alex Balboa (Equatorial Guinea, Deportivo Alaves)
Football runs through the affluent Balboa family. Alex is the cousin of former Real Madrid winger Javier Balboa who was one of the stars in the Equatorial Guinea team when they reached the last four of the 2015 AFCON.
Born in Spain, Alex Balboa plays for Deportivo Alaves as a central midfielder and has made twelve league appearances for the youth side this season.
The 20-year-old talent is a midfield machine who can dictate the pace of the game for Equatorial Guinea.
