The ongoing UEFA Champions League competition in Portugal is without usual big names like Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Thomas Partey , Kalidou Koulibaly and co but there is Amadou Haidara who plays for Leipzig and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting of Paris Saint-Germain as the only African players remaining in Europe’s biggest competition.
Amadou Haidara
The 22-year old Mali international midfielder joined RB Leipzig from partner club RB Salzburg in January 2019 and has appeared in seven matches in the Champions League this season mostly as a substitute.
He has helped the German Bundesliga side reach the last eight after dispatching favorites Atletico Madrid as the team of Julian Nagelsmann seek to disturb the odds again on Tuesday night when they met Choupo Moting’s PSG in the first semi-final of the event.
Haidara started his career with the Malian side JMG Academy Bamako. In July 2016 he was signed by FC Red Bull Salzburg. He was sent out on loan to the second league side FC Liefering, which is the farm team of Red Bull Salzburg.
Haidara also played for the FC Red Bull Salzburg U-19 team in the UEFA Youth League. There he scored two goals versus FK Vardar.
Eric Maxim Choupo Moting
Choupo Moting – who has 15 goals in 55 games for Cameroon – came off the bench to score a stoppage time winner against Atalanta as PSG won 2-1 and he will be expected to play some good minutes against the Germans.
Moing has previously played for clubs like Stoke City, Schalke 04, Mainz 05 and Hamburger SV.