The tournament of fresh faces and familiar ghosts
The Africa Cup of Nations always promises a parade of rising stars, but tucked between the breakout teenagers and household names are a different kind of spectacle: players who seemed to have vanished from the headlines, only to reappear in national colours. Some are weathered veterans chasing one last hurrah; others are journeymen whose careers took unexpected detours. Here are 15 AFCON-bound players who remind us that football’s memory is delightfully unreliable.
Bruno Ecuele Manga
Once the rock at the heart of Cardiff’s defence, Bruno Ecuele Manga returns to the continental stage at 37. Now wearing Gabon’s yellow and turning out for semi-pro Paris 13 Atletico in France’s third tier, the former Bluebirds Player of the Year brings old-school presence and a storybook arc: a veteran facing Africa’s sharpest strikers one more time.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin
Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s career looked finished after a cruel thigh injury at Everton, but the versatile midfielder has clawed his way back into Ivory Coast plans. Now 30 and plying his trade with Metz, Gbamin arrives in Morocco with a chance to rewrite the chapter he missed at the last Nations Cup.
Willy Boly
A name that’s slipped from many fans’ minds, Willy Boly remains on Premier League books with Nottingham Forest despite near-total absence from the pitch this season. Selected by Emerse Fae, the Ivorian centre-back could be rusty — but his inclusion is a reminder that reputations can outlast match minutes.
Romain Saïss
Once a mainstay in Wolves’ defence, Romain Saïss has traded the English midlands for silverware in the Gulf. A World Cup semifinalist with Morocco in 2022 and a recent Qatari champion with Al Sadd, Saïss brings experience and a calm, familiar presence to a Moroccan side that knows how to value seasoned heads.
Denis Onyango
A legend of Ugandan football, Denis Onyango is the kind of name that conjures entire eras. The long-serving Mamelodi Sundowns keeper may now play backup, but his influence stretches back to Uganda’s return to AFCON in 2017 — and his recall this year is a salute to enduring class.
Mbwana Samatta
Mbwana Samatta made history as Tanzania’s first Premier League player and even found the net in an EFL final, but the top-flight proved a bridge too far. Now at Le Havre and searching for form in Ligue 1, Samatta’s AFCON call-up is a reminder of talent that once promised so much.
Christian Bassogog
The 2017 Nations Cup’s Player of the Tournament, Christian Bassogog arrived as a revelation and then drifted into the footballing background. After years in China and a brief Turkish spell, he now turns out in Saudi Arabia — a former tournament hero hoping to recapture a flash of that old magic.
Jean Michaël Seri
Once courted by Europe’s elite, Jean Michaël Seri has taken a quieter path through Slovenian football with NK Maribor. The 34-year-old’s recall to Ivory Coast raises eyebrows, but Seri brings the kind of midfield craft and AFCON experience — four tournaments deep — that managers still prize.
Didier Ndong
Didier Ndong’s English adventure ended in fits and starts, but the Gabonese midfielder has kept his career alive abroad. Now in Iran with Esteghlal Tehran, Ndong’s presence at AFCON is a testament to resilience after a turbulent spell in the English leagues.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
Once a promising winger at Nantes and Marseille, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou never quite fulfilled early expectations. A Turkish double winner with Besiktas, he now arrives from Saudi second-tier football — a reminder that careers can take unexpected detours before a national call-up rekindles attention.
Wilfried Zaha
The most familiar face on this list, Wilfried Zaha has enjoyed a renaissance in MLS with Charlotte FC and earns a recall to the Ivory Coast. Still capable of the dazzling runs that defined his Crystal Palace days, Zaha’s return to AFCON promises moments of pure, old-school excitement.
Mohamed Eisa
From the English lower leagues to a breakout at Cheltenham, Mohamed Eisa carved a route to the spotlight with a prolific season that turned heads. Now playing in Iran, Eisa prepares for his first Nations Cup with Sudan — a late-blooming story that underlines football’s unpredictable pathways.
Macauley Bonne
A goal machine for Leyton Orient and a familiar figure across the Football League, Macauley Bonne has taken an unlikely route to AFCON. Representing Maldon & Tiptree in the English eighth tier yet called up by Zimbabwe, Bonne’s journey is proof that form and fate can collide in surprising ways.
Stoppila Sunzu
The man who sealed Zambia’s fairytale AFCON triumph in 2012, Stoppila Sunzu remains the last living link to that golden team. After spells across Europe and China, Sunzu’s experience and penalty-box nerve still make him a figure of reverence for the Chipolopolo.
Steve Mounie
Built on aerial dominance and a knack for the decisive header, Steve Mounie has been a constant threat across France and England. Now captaining Benin and searching for goals in Turkey, Mounie sits tantalisingly close to a national scoring milestone — two strikes away from equalling a long-standing record.
Final whistle
AFCON 2025 will be a festival of new names and familiar ghosts. These 15 players prove that football’s storylines don’t always follow a straight line — sometimes they circle back, offering one more chance for glory, redemption, or simply a reminder that the beautiful game never forgets entirely.
