Pulse List 2019: Best African XI of the year
As we count down to the end of 2019, we are looking at the best African players in each position of the field.
2019 was a good year for African players with a slew of names who excelled at the biggest stages of club football.
From the Premier League to the Champions League and the major clubs around the world, African players had key roles in some of the most successful teams in the world.
This players in this XI are not here just for their club performances. In a year where we had the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), national team impact was also considered.
These are the best African players in every position in the last 12 months.
Goalkeeper
André Onana (Cameroon and Ajax)
Andre Onana established himself as the best goalkeeper from the continent mostly with his performances for Ajax. Since he came through the ranks to become Ajax’s first-choice goalkeeper, it was in 2019 that he repaid the club’s faith in him when almost everyone was in doubt.
It was in 2019 that he completed the 2018/2019 season where he won the league and cup double for Ajax. In the league, he had 15 clean sheets in 33 games with an impressive 2.4 saves per game.
He was also played all the games in Ajax’s run to the Champions League semifinal.
Onana wasn’t that impressive at AFCON 2019 but played in all Cameroon’s four games in Egypt.
Defence
Youssouf Sabaly (Senegal/Bordeaux)
Youssouf Sabaly comes in this XI due to his fantastic performance for Senegal at AFCON 2019. Although a right-back, Sabaly played the left-back role for the beaten finalists of AFCON 2019 with solidity and efficiently. For his effort, he was including the official XI of the tournament.
It's for this reason that he makes this XI and the fact that we don’t consider any other fullback worthy.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli)
In 2019, Koulibaly continued to make his mark as one of the best defenders in world football. It was a reputation fueled by his consistent performance for Napoli.
Big, strong, a good reader of the game with good feet on the ball, Koulibaly headed to AFCON 2019 with so much expected of him. He did not disappoint as led the best defence at the tournament to the final.
Joel Matip (Cameroon/Liverpool)
Joel Matip had a fantastic year helping Liverpool to the Champions League title. The Cameroonian played eight games in that Champions League campaign including the semifinals and the final as Liverpool won the title.
This season Matip has started 17 times in his 22 appearances for Liverpool who are still unbeaten in the Premier League.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Borussia Dortmund)
One of the most exciting young talents in world football, Hakimi’s stock continued to rise due to his impressive performances in 2019.
Hakimi who is halfway into his second season at Dortmund was a key member of the BVB side that finished Bundesliga runners-up in 2018/19. Hakimi played 21 times with two goals and assists to help Dortmund to a second-place finish.
This season, the 21-year-old has already featured in 26 matches in all competitions, registering six goals and as many assists. He had his first career brace in Dortmund's 2-0 win at Slavia Prague in UEFA Champions League Group F and scored another double to help BVB to a stunning comeback from 2-0 down in a 3-2 home win over Inter Milan.
The Real Madrid loanee is so far the highest-scoring defender in the Champions League this season.
He was part of the Moroccan squad who had a disappointing AFCON 2019 campaign but this does not take away from everything he achieved in 2019.
Midfield
Ismaël Bennacer (Algeria/Empoli/AC Milan)
At the beginning of 2019 which was midway into the 2018./2019 season, Bennacer was already getting his plaudits for his performances for Empoli. A midfield player with a fine reading of the game and solidity and energy to defend spaces in the middle, the 22-year-old was catching the eye at Empoli.
It was at AFCON 2019 that the Algerian exploded. Playing as the right central-midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, he was Algeria's best player as they went on to win the title.
He was also named Player of the Tournament for his effort.
Africa has some solid names in this position. Wilfred Ndidi, Thomas Partey and Idrissa Gueye are some big names in this midfield position. But while Ndidi and Party did not win any silverware and failed at AFCON 2019, Gueye was bested in the final of AFCON 2019 by Bennacer which gave him an edge to make this XI.
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco/Ajax)
Hakim Ziyech was part of the Ajax team that caught the world’s attention in 2019. He scored 16 goals and made 13 assists in the league to help his side to the title and also impressed in the Champions League with three goals and three assists as Ajax reached the semi-finals.
He was one of the players to watch at AFCON 2019 but he failed to lift Morocco who disappointed with a second-round exit. Ziyech was particularly at fault for that exit as he missed a couple of fine chances in that second-round game against the Republic of Benin but he had such a good year with Ajax.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City)
Mahrez didn’t have a great start to 2019 as he struggled to make an impact at Manchester City. He did manage seven goals in 27 games (14 starts) as Manchester City won the Premier League title and another two goals in five games to help his side to the FA Cup title. He ended that season with a domestic treble with Manchester City although he didn't make much impact.
It’s this season that he has looked like the player he was at Leicester City and has become more important to Manchester City. He has five goals and five assists in 19 league games (10 starts), one goal and four assists in five Champions League games.
It was his performance at AFCON 2019 that however stands him out as one of the best players in the continent. He played all Algeria’s games at AFCON 2019 and scored three goals including the important last-minute winner against Nigeria in the semifinals.
Forward
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Salah continued his incredible return of goals for Liverpool who won the Champions League title in 2019. In that campaign, Salah played 12 games and scored five goals including Liverpool’s opener in the 2-0 win over Tottenham in the final.
In the Premier League, he got the Golden Boot alongside two other African players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sadio Mane.
With the weight of expectation for the host of AFCON 2019, Egypt, Salah and the Pharaohs collapsed in the quarterfinals which put a huge dent on his 2019. He has since bounced back to help Liverpool unbeaten run so far in the Premier League this season.
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool)
Mane in 2019 finally stepped out of the Salah shadows to insert himself in the conversations for the best players in world football.
He also scored 22 goals to pick up the Premier League Golden Boot and got four goals in that Liverpool’s victorious Champions League campaign.
He delivered to expectations at AFCON 2019 where he scored three goals and helped Senegal to the final where they lost to Algeria.
This season, he has continued from where he stopped with 10 league goals and two in the Champions League.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal/Gabon)
No player scored more Premier League goals than Aubameyang in 2019 as he picked up the Golden Boot of the 2018/2019 season. He also fired Arsenal to the finals of the Europa League.
This season, he has continued with his hot streak with 13 goals in the Premier League.
He wasn’t in action at AFCON 2019 but he displaces Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo who finished as the highest goalscorer at both the qualifiers and the main tournament of AFCON 2019.
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