Mixed Fortunes For 25 Saudi Pro League Players Representing Their Respective Nations at AFCON
The 2023/24 edition of the African Cup of Nations saw 25 players plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League turn out for their nations. Ranging from two-time African Player of the Year, Sadio Mane, to eventual AFCON winner Seko Fofana, the SPL was well represented in the tournament.
Before the tournament, there were qualms about Saudi-based players being unable to compete with their European counterparts. However, with the tournament being hosted in the Ivory Coast, a country sharing similar climatic conditions to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-based players found it easier to acclimatize.
Notably, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who turned down a Saudi move, noting that it would not be good for his career, could not deliver the goods as Nigeria fell short in the final, losing 1-2 to Ivory Coast.
Al Nassr’s Sadio Mane was expected to contend for the AFCON trophy, with Senegal being the defending champions. However, hosts Ivory Coast dispatched them in the round of 16 on penalties.
Morocco, who finished 4th in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, were expected to make a big impact at AFCON. Three Saudi-based players were on the squad, namely Yassin Bounou (Al Hilal), Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda), and Romain Saïss (Al Shabab). Current African Goalkeeper of the Year and Al Hilal’s number one, Bounou, could not stop South Africa from scoring two past him to kick Morroco out of AFCON in the round of 16.
The eventual champions, Ivory Coast, had Seko Fofana (Al Ettifaq), Ghislain Konan (Al Feiha), and Franck Kessié (Al Ahli), with all three starting in the final and Kessié managed to score. The three will be very buoyed by the victory when they return to Saudi Pro League action after their well-deserved break.
