Players from 15 LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1l2l3 clubs will be representing 10 different countries at the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt. The Confederation of African Football’s tournament, which takes place between 21 June and 19 July, has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams and will be played in six stadiums across four cities: Alexandria, Cairo, Ismailia and Suez.
CD Leganes are the club supplying the largest contingent of players with three representatives Yousef En Nesyri (Morocco), Kenneth Omeruo (Nigeria) and Kwabena Owusu (Ghana), while Malaga CF, Real Betis and Villarreal CF are each supplying two apiece. The country with the highest number of LaLiga representatives is the 1976 winners Morocco with four, while three-times champions Nigeria, and four-times winners Ghana have three each.
Among the players expected to shine in Egypt are Cameroon striker Toko Ekambi, who top scored for Villarreal CF with 10 goals in LaLiga Santander last season. Algeria and Real Betis midfielder Aisssa Mandi was the player with the most completed passes in LaLiga Santander (2577), while Morocco and RC Celta’s attacking midfielder Sofiane Boufal completed the most dribbles in the division (144). Ghana boasts midfield stalwarts Thomas Partey and Mubarak Wakaso from Atletico Madrid and D.Alaves respectively, and Nigeria boast one of LaLiga Santander’s most exciting young players, the 20-year-old Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze.
In the dugouts, there are some more familiar faces from LaLiga with Tanzania coached by former FC Barcelona winger Emmanuel Amuneke and AFCON holders Cameroon by former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
AFCON opens with the hosts and seven-times winners Egypt playing Zimbabwe at the Cairo International stadium on Friday 21 June, and closes with the final at the same venue on Friday 19 July.
Full list: *
Algeria: Aissa Mandi (R.Betis)
Cameroon: Karl-Toko Ekambi (Villarreal CF), Wilfred Kaptoum (R.Betis)
Ghana: Mubarak Wakaso (D.Alaves), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid), Kwabena Owusu (CD Leganes)
Guinea: Jose Kante (Nastic)
Kenya: Ismael Athuman (UD Las Palmas)
Mauritania: Aly Abied (AD Alcorcon), Hassen El Id (R.Valladolid CF)
Morocco: Yassine Bono (Girona FC), Munir Mohand Mohamedi (Malaga CF), Yousef En Nesyri (CD Leganes), Soufiane Boufal (RC Celta)
Nigeria: Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal CF), Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes), Moses Simon (Levante UD)
Senegal: Moussa Wague (FC Barcelona), Alfred Ndiaye (Malaga CF)
Tanzania: Farid Mussa (CD Tenerife)
* As per squads for the 2018/2019 season.
Source: laligaes.es