FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LW - Percy Tau [Mamelodi Sundowns]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LW - Percy Tau

The only player to make it on our list of the next transcendent players while playing in the continent of Africa is Percy Tau. The 23-year old has been the star of the show in the South African Premier Soccer League in recent years. The South African player has been likened to Premier League stars such as Sadio Mane with former football legends like El Hadji Diouf claiming that he is better than the Senegalese forward who plays for Liverpool. If you want to know more about this player, you can read an article we shared about his heroic performances for Mamelodi Sundowns who recently played against Barcelona on Wednesday, 15 May 2018.

Liberian President’s son, Weah, scores debut goal for USA

PSG forward, Timothy Weah opened his USA goals account with a cool 58th-minute finish after receiving a cross from Everton’s Antonee Robinson. It was the 18-year-old’s second appearance for The Stars and the Stripes and his full international senior debut after coming on as a late substitute in his first match where the USA won 1-0 over Paraguay in a March friendly.

Timothy’s goal was amongst three scored by a young USA team averaging 22-years-old that scooped a clean 3-0 victory over Bolivia. The team’s setup is largely seen as a rebuilding exercise for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after the North American nation failed to qualify for this year’s finals in Russia. Weah was born in New York City to the African legendary footballer, George Weah and has since appeared for USA Under-14, 15 and 17 teams. He has opted to play for USA full-time other than the country of his parents birth where his father currently serves as President.

His father, George Weah, who still is the only African player to have won the FIFA World Player of The Year and Ballon D’Or award has also hinted on interest to back the join USA, Mexico and Canada bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup against fellow African nation Morocco’s request.

PSL Awards: Tau crowned king and could Siphesihle Ndlovu follow his footsteps?

Inarguably the name that has dominated the South African football media throughout the 2017/18 campaign is at it again, this time with a few accolades besides it. Rightfully so, if you ask me. Percy Tau was the biggest winner on Tuesday night at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg where the ABSA Premiership Awards Gala was held. The 24-year-old was received the top two awards in South African football, the prestigious Footballer Of The Season Award and the Players’ Player Of The Season. He also shared the money with Polokwane City’s Rodney Ramagelela for the Top Scorer Award after banging striking eleven times for the PSL Champions, Mamelodi Sundowns. The Sundowns talisman will most likely be nominated for the CAF awards at the end of the year and rumors linking him to European clubs might not be far off now. The Mesut Ozil-like assist that he dished out to Sibusiso Vilakazi in their friendly against Barcelona shows glimpses of his quality and El Hadji Diouf’s praises and prophecy might come true after all.

On the contrary, not much has been said about Maritzburg United’s young playmaker, Siphesihle Ndlovu. The 21-year-old midfielder capped off his breakthrough the season by also getting a brace on the night, winning the ABSA Premiership Young Player Of The Season and the Midfielder Of The Season Awards. Ever since he joined the Team of Choice as the child, graduating from the ball-boy role, he has been on the up. At the time, they actually nicknamed him “Mbesuma,” after the former PSL Top Goal Scorer, Collins Mbesuma. Ndlovu became the first Maritzburg United player to win the ABSA Premiership Player Of The Month in January 2018 and went on to steer the team to a fourth-place finish. Leading up to the awards night, the youngster opened up on the reason behind his success:

I've never thought I could be nominated so soon, but also I think that anything is possible in this world‚ and that if you perform when you give 100 percent in every game‚ you're always focused‚ then anything can happen to you. From last season I was trying to make my way into Maritzburg‚ then when this season started the coach made me believe that I'm one of the best players in the world.” - Siphesihle Ndlovu, Maritzburg United

He received his first call to the Bafana Bafana camp in March 2018 for the Four Nations Tournament. Young Ndlovu is an exciting prospect that will surely turn heads in a few months time.

Here is the full list of all winners for the 2017/18 ABSA Premiership Season:

FOOTBALLER OF THE SEASON:

Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 19,960

ABSA Premiership Player’s Player of the Season:

Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 15,970

ABSA Premiership Coach of the Season:

Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns) — (USD)$ 5,990

ABSA Premiership Young Player of the Season:

Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season:

Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Defender of the Season:

Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Midfielder of the Season:

Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 4,000

ABSA Premiership Goal of the Season:

Siphelele Magubane (L. Golden Arrows) — (USD) $ 4,000

MTN8 LAST MAN STANDING:

Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United) — (USD) $6,390

TELKOM KNOCKOUT PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT:

Amr Gamal (Bidvest Wits) — (USD) $ 15,970

NEDBANK CUP: Player of the Tournament:

Lebohang Maboe (Maritzburg United) — (USD) $ 11,980

NEDBANK CUP: Most Promising Player

Lebohang Maboe (Maritzburg United) — (USD)$ 4,000

MULTICHOICE Diski Challenge Precious Find:

Siboniso Conco (L. Golden Arrows) — (USD)$ 2,400

MULTICHOICE Diski Shield Precious Find:(USD) $ 11,980

Itumeleng Shopane (Kaizer Chiefs) — (USD)$ 2,400

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee of the Season — (USD)$ 4,000

Assistant Referee of the Season — (USD) $ 3,200

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CF - Emmanuel Boateng [Levante]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CF - Emmanuel Boateng

21-year old Ghanaian striker made the headlines a few weeks ago after inspiring Levante into defeating Barcelona to end their undefeated run. The player scored a hat-trick in the match and many fans have been curious to know what he is about. The young African player joined Levante in the summer of 2017 from Portuguese side Moreirense and has a mixed start to life in Spain. He only started 11 matches for Levante and has scored 7 goals. Three of them coming on that historic night against Barcelona. He made a claim to the rest of the world that he is capable of performing against the very best just like Samuel Eto’o did after he was released by Real Madrid. He went on to make the move to Barcelona and became a legend for the club. Are we witnessing another story of an African player who proves his worth at a small Spanish side before moving to the biggest clubs in Europe? What we know for sure he has started to attract the attention that had been reserved for Kelechi Iheanacho who has stagnated ever since 2016.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: RW - Keita Balde [Monaco]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

RW - Keita Balde

The right-winger was born in Spain and chose to represent Senegal, his father’s country of origin. The 23-year old currently plays for Monaco having joined the club from Lazio in a £27.8m deal after the club lost their star forward Kylian Mbappe to PSG. They trusted that the African player has the right attributes to fill the boots of the most expensive teenager in world football. The player has been somewhat of a success. He scored 8 goals and created 7 in a season where he started 19 matches. If these statistics are not good enough, it shows that we already compare him to the best performers in Europe who have been consistent in providing assists more like Kevin De Bruyne. The Senegalese forward will be on the opposite side of another dangerous forward in Sadio Mane at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Senegal will be a force to recon and this is thanks to how these African players have developed on the European scene.

FT World Cup Focus: Does Nigeria have three reasons to ‘Kelechi’ (Thank God)?

In Nigeria, particularly in the Igbo tribe, Kelechi happens to be a very common name given to children coming into this world. Loosely translated, the name means “thank God” or “glorify God” that speaks to a people expressing gratitude to a Higher power for the blessing in form of the child born to them. In the football media, we have been recently exposed to three Kelechis. Do they perhaps resemble the three positives that the green and white army can be cognizant of heading into the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia next month? Let us find out

Kelechi Iheanacho

The Leicester striker joined the foxes in the summer of 2017 from Manchester City in a £25 million which made him the third most expensive African player at the time, after Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah’s transfers to Liverpool. He had become famous for scoring goals from the bench at City, becoming the most prolific Premier League scorer in history at 1 goal every 96 minutes, a ratio higher than the likes of Thierry Henry and Sergio Aguero.

Things did not, however, go as planned at Leicester in the 2017/18 campaign as he continued to fall out of favor with coach Claude Puel for the better part of the season. Iheanacho got a nod from the coach in the closing stages for the season and did put in some applaudable performances, including a fine strike in Leicester’s win over Arsenal. For the entire campaign, he made only seven EPL starts but scored 3 goals and registered 3 assists, not bad at all for a striker. In my humble opinion, the 21-year-old is not too far away from being a seasoned goal poacher who would not become as great as Okocha but will certainly provide goals for his country and club when they need them the most. He is poised to make it to Gernot Rohr’s final 23-man squad and I strongly believe that he can deliver the goods for the Super Eagles if given the chance.

Kelechi Nwakali

He is the kid who has recently made the headlines after a man of the match display in Nigeria’s 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid as part of the GOtv Max cup clash. Nwakali steered the Super Eagles in front on the 31st-minute mark by curling a beautiful shot into the net, beyond the reach of Jan Oblak. The 19-year-old has actually been crafting such crazy performances for quite some time now especially at the Dutch side MVV Maastricht where he is on loan from North Londoners, Arsenal. Prior to joining the Premier League club, Nwakali captained the Under-17 Super Eagles side to a 2015 FIFA World Cup title, winning the Golden Ball Award in the process. He is still yet to make an Arsenal debut and could soon join his compatriot, Alex Iwobi in the Gunners first team.

Even though he was not selected to be part of Rohr’s provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup finals in Russia next month, Nwakali represents a tantalizing prospect of youth who could continue building on Nigeria’s momentum and restore the nation’s position as a footballing powerhouse after the June finals.

Dr. Kelechi Anyikude

Popularly known as Kelechi, the Arsenal fan has become known for fanatically backing the Gunners. The Ph.D. holder currently resides in the United Kingdom and considers himself an Unofficial Nigerian Ambassador, Environmentalist, and SDG Advocate. He is a regular on the Arsenal FanTV YouTube channel and a symbol of the funny, opinionated and widely outspoken fan who is not shy to express his feelings. He sings and dances a lot on the channel using his native Igbo language and also shouts when times are rough.

Kelechi will be fully backing the Super Eagles team in Russia and his energy represents the population of Nigeria fans who are known for assuming the role of the 12th player with purpose and pride. Pre-orders for the Nigerian Nike kit has reached over a record 3 million and you are guaranteed that in Russia and elsewhere around the world, the Super Eagles fans will be behind their heroes. Could the off the pitch hype aid Nigeria’s 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign success?

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CM - Naby Keita [RB Leipzig]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CM - Naby Keita

Naby Keita made it in the German Bundesliga team of the Year in 2017 after guiding RB Leipzig to a second-place finish in the league. The following summer, Liverpool agreed on a deal in principle to take the Guinea international in the following year to the Anfield Stadium. The 23-year old has been the engine for one of the Red Bull franchise teams which have progressed in the past two years. The biggest headache that he will give to his new coach, Jurgen Klopp is his versatility. The player can play anywhere in midfield and can still be offensive. This season alone, he has scored 10 goals and provided 7 assists in all competitions according to WhoScored. He has been linked with clubs like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool before to show the caliber of player he is. He sure is destined to be a top, top player and it would be a mistake if Liverpool decides not to finalize the deal.

Women’s African Cup of Nations 2018 is around the corner

The FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 is making the headlines as expected for it is the biggest sporting event in the world. The African Cup of Nations comes in a close second for African countries and it is equivalent to the UEFA Euro in Europe and Copa America in South America. This tournament presents an opportunity for countries from the motherland to battle out for the title of being called the Kings of Africa.

The women national teams of Africa have their own AFCON tournament which FirstTouch will be covering between November 17 and December 1. Ghana are the hosts for this main event and have the automatic qualification to the tournament. 7 spots are up for grabs and many teams have been fighting it out to make it to the tournament finals in the qualifiers which started in April and will end in June. The top three teams from this year’s Total Women’s African Cup of Nations will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be hosted by France in 2019. It would be interesting to see who will earn a place for such a tournament after the likes of Zimbabwe surprised many when they qualified for the Olympic Games in 2016.

FT World Cup News: Super Eagles players to receive bonuses before Russia appearance

The disputes over non-payment of bonuses for national players which have plagued African teams at major tournaments might just be averted by a seemingly more determined Nigerian Football Federation. The NFF boss Amaju Pinnick told Kwese ESPN that the squad would receive their bonus payments before the friendly against DR Congo on Monday.  It is understood that the players already signed a graduated bonus structure last November, which is in line with the FIFA directive to deal with bonus disputes. FIFA has already paid (USD) $2 million to national associations to aid the process with NFF raising an additional (USD) $800 000 to further their cause.

"FIFA paid $2million and we have been able to raise an additional $800 000. That is what we need to pay the players and prosecute both the remaining pre-World Cup games and the World Cup itself.T he players will be paid their share of what we agreed with them as soon as they arrive for the friendly in Nigeria." - Amaju Pinnick, NFF President

This will undoubtedly go a long in increasing Nigeria’s chances of pulling off a formidable world cup campaign. In recent years, payment disputes stifled the country’s progress with an alleged incident in the 1994 World Cup where the Super Eagles stayed up the night before their 4-1 Round of 16 humiliation by Denmark, fighting for their bonuses. Even in 2013, the team refused to board a plane for FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, before the issue intensified at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals. It is not only Nigeria, Ghana had to fly (USD) $3 million cash in a private jet to Brazil after the Black Stars boycotted training.

Atletico Madrid narrowly beat Nigerian national team

The Europa League Champions were able to secure a win over the world cup bound, Super Eagles side by scoring a winner five minutes from time. The much anticipated GOTV Max Cup clash at Godswill Akpabio international stadium was off to a great start for the locals who grabbed the lead in the 31st minute. Arsenal young midfielder who is on loan at MVV Maastricht, Kelechi Nwakali (19) rounded off a defender before curling a majestic shot into the back of the net, beyond the reach Jan Oblak, one of the world’s best shot-stoppers.

Two minutes later, the inexperience of the Super Eagles B side was exposed as Ghanaian Thomas Partey stole the ball from the showboating Emem Eduok and slotted in a neat pass for Angel Correa who finished beautifully with his outside foot. After the break, veteran Fernando Torres stole the lead for Rojiblancos by firing in a fine header from a corner. A much more determined and performance boosted by the introduction of Tosin Omoyele of the Nigerian Professional Football League side, Plateau United paid dividends in the 80th minute. Usman Mohammed combined with Omoyele and left an Atletico man lying on the floor after some serious dribbling and confidently slotted the ball into the net. The 18-year-old Atletico player, Borja Garces broke Nigerian hearts with a fine shot, five minutes from time.

Should Gernot Rohr have included some standout performers of Tuesday’s friendly like Nwakali in his thirty-man provisional squad? I mean, It was not really a bad performance by the B side.

Zimbabwean teen signs Burnley deal

England born forward, Tinashe Chakwana, has signed his first professional contract with Premier League side, Burnley. Chakwana has been nothing less than phenomenal at the Turf Moor, shining for the club’s youth teams. The 19-year-old was the top scorer for the club’s Under 18 side in the 2016/17 and carried that momentum into the 2017/18 season where he again topped the scoring charts, this time for the Under 23 side. The Wigan-born striker is really showing signs of possibly breaking into the Sean Dyche ’s first team at the club who remarkably secured a seventh-place finish in the English top flight league, behind the acclaimed big six of Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

He is one of only two players from the youth teams that were offered professional contracts by the Clarets. Chakwana and age mate, Mark Howarth signed one-year deals with an option to add another year. Speaking about Chakwana who has been at Burnley since 2015 on scholarship, his former coach, Michael Jolly at the Under-23 side said:

"Tinashe's quality is improving tremendously. He is scoring goals for the team and that's important for a forward player Our aim is to get more players into the first team and we have more players training as part of the first team group from the Under-21 side and Tinashe is one of those players who have the potential to break into the first team soon." - Michael Jolly

By virtue of being born in England, Chakwana is eligible to play for the Three Lions or his parents’ origin. Zimbabwe will most definitely be keeping tabs with this exciting talent.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Wilfred Ndidi [Leicester City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Wilfred Ndidi

Nigerian midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has already started to make a name for himself in the most competitive leagues in Europe. The 21-year old moved to Leicester in January 2017 for £15m from Genk. He has since proved his worth against some of the best tacklers in the game such as N’golo Kante and Idrissa Gana Gueye who are all of the African descent. Ndidi is leading the Premier League charts as the best tackler with 138 in his 33 league appearances. The player also proved that he is an all-round midfielder and can offer more in terms of goal creation as he has scored a goal and provided 3 assists for Leicester in the league and FA Cup. It is exciting to hear that the young Nigerian is being linked with clubs like Arsenal who have had many problems in midfield ever since Patrick Vieira left the club. Ndidi has the potential to be a Premier League great if he makes a wise decision which involves him moving to a bigger club that can take his game to the next level like the likes of Michael Essien did at Chelsea under Mourinho. The season has ended and his focus is on the FIFA World Cup where he will be representing his nation who will play their first match against Croatia. 

The 21-year old midfield enforcer is as good as anyone you can get in his position and will be looking to strike a formidable midfield partnership with former Nigerian teammate and Golden Boy Winner John Obi Mikel who used to play for Chelsea before he left for China. We expect Ndidi to be doing the ‘dirty work’ for the team before distributing the ball to the playmaker who will transition the play to attack and hurt teams like Argentina, Croatia and Iceland in Group D. Wilfred has a long career ahead of him and should be looking to prove his worth especially against Messi’s team if he hopes of moving from being considered a good player to a great player. Arsenal has been reported to be sniffing around the possibility of capturing the talented African midfield enforcer and making him their new Vieira who will shut opponents if they try to break them on the counter. Will Ndidi be ready by the time the tournament kicks off in 21 days?

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Franck Kessie [AC Milan]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Franck Kessie

The Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) international currently plays as the holding midfielder for Italian giants, AC Milan. The 21-year old is on-loan from Atalanta but looks set to be the heir of long-retired Gattuso who is coincidentally coaching the player at AC Milan. Many comparisons have been drawn between the player and another football legend in Yaya Toure who enjoyed his best years of football in Manchester, England. Kessie has been dubbed the long-term replacement of Yaya Toure in the national team and he has not disappointed. Although the club has had a poor season, Kessie appeared in 36 appearances scoring 5 goals in the process as well as providing 5 assists. Kessie shows early promises of being a dominant enforcer in midfield who can drive his team forward at his own will just like Yaya Toure did in England. He looks ready for the next big challenge, clubs like Arsenal should definitely have the player on their radar.

FT African Legends Series: Austin Jay Jay Okocha [Nigeria]

As we continue with the FirstTouch African Legends series, we drift to the western part of the continent and reminisce the career of whom I consider being one of the greatest dribblers that ever played professional football - Mr. Austin Azuka “Jay Jay” Okocha. I think it’s no coincidence that he and Zimbabwe’s Peter Ndlovu were born in the same year - they were perhaps born for the same purpose in their respective countries. In my mind, Peter Ndlovu, the first black African footballer in the English Premier League was a goal scoring machine while Okocha was a rabid entertainer.

The Beginning

Born in Enugu, Enugu State in Nigeria, Okocha started playing football on the streets with what he described in the following statement, “As far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!" I mean, if the guy could control let’s say a mango with his feet, how about a proper soccer ball with a 68-70 cm circumference and a 22cm (8.56 inches) diameter. Perhaps that’s why he was ever so comfortable with the ball. He got the first touch of professional football in 1990 when he joined Enugu Rangers at just 17 years of age. He immediately made a big impression with his slick movements and became guilty of handing some experienced players a run for their money and a taste of the dust, once in a while.

Club career in Europe

Okocha’s big break came later that year when he visited West Germany on holiday after the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He stopped by a third division side, Borussia Neunkirchen’s training ground with a friend and asked to join in, only to find himself getting pinned to a contract after mesmerizing the coach with his arm-like legs that caressed the ball effortlessly. In the following year, he would join FC Saarbrucken before completing a move to the top flight Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt where he linked up with the Ghanaian striker, Tony Yeboah. He appeared 90 times for Frankfurt and scored 16 goals, including the 1993 goal which attracted the Goal of the season recognition by numerous magazines after he had rounded some players in the box twice and slotted the ball past the infamous German international goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn. Jay-Jay then moved to Turkey after Eintracht Frankfurt got relegated, he had a feud with the manager Jupp Heynckes before relegation. Whilst in Turkey, Okocha attained citizenship status as “Muhammet Yavuz” and scored 30 goals in only 62 appearances with a number of them being direct free kicks.

In 1998, French Ligue 1 side, Paris St-Germain broke the bank and paid £14 million for Okocha who became the most expensive African player at the time, in a four-year deal. Other than his continued displays on the pitch, Okocha also mentored the Brazilian football icon, Ronaldinho - who in my opinion rivals him when it comes to dribbling. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he joined English Premier League side, Bolton Wanderers whom he helped survive relegation and also steered them to their first cup final in nine years as Captain, where they finished runners-up to the 2004 Football League Cup. He did score some memorable goals and became a crowd favorite. Bolton fans would wear t-shirts with the inscription, "Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice." He was stripped of the Bolton Captaincy in 2006 after speculation of him moving to Qatar intensified. Jay-Jay eventually left Bolton that year for Qatar, where he played one season before returning to England in Hull City colors on a free transfer. He hung his boots after a short spell with the Tigers where he scored no goals in eighteen matches as a result of fitness and injury challenges. He still was a part of the Hull troops that won the first Premier League promotion in their 104-year history.

The Super Eagles Years

Okocha won Nigerian hearts in only his second cap for the country. After losing 2-1 to Ivory Coast on his debut in a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Jay-Jay came on strong against Algeria where the Super Eagles came from one goal down to secure a 4-1 victory in a must-win match that secured their first ever FIFA World Cup qualification. The match was pretty much an Okocha-show. He also won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and the Olympic Gold Medal at USA 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as part of the Nigerian team dubbed Dream Team.

The step-over king’s antics on the pitch cannot be rightfully described in words. He even indirectly led to the sacking of Zimbabwe’s famous football commentator, Charles Mabika after he got his dribbling displays stuck on replay underscored by unapologetic juicy commentary with the words, “Just look at Okocha,” - on national television when the Super Eagles visited Harare for a friendly.

In April 2015, Okocha expressed interest in becoming the president of Nigerian Football Federation, a dream he happens to be chasing as we speak. Feeling nostalgic? Check his displays in the video below, where at 43-years of age, he turned a Joseph Yobo testimonial match to a Jay-Jay Okocha Exhibition in May 2016.

Do you think his cousin, Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi could follow the footsteps of the veteran?

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LB – Ramadan Sobhi [Stoke City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LB – Ramadan Sobhi

Stoke City’s Ramadhan Sobhi currently plays as a winger in Paul Lambert’s team but his versatility allows him to fill in the left-back position in the Next African Transcendent XI. The 21-year old comes from the land of Egypt which has produced a 2018 Ballon D’Or contender in Mo Salah and he is as skilled as the Liverpool player. Sobhi is confident on the ball which has seen him represent his club and country on 29 different occasions scoring 3 goals in a process. Not bad for a 21-year old who is not a starter for the English club. The excitement brought about when such young players take on the best in the league prove that the continent of Africa has so much talent and it is just a matter of time before that talent translates to strong teams that can compete for the FIFA World Cup and other international tournaments.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Munir El Haddadi [Barcelona]

Munir is in Barcelona’s ranks on loan at Deportivo Alaves and was interestingly a Real Madrid fan up until he was 14. He was born on 1 September 1995 to a Moroccan father, Mohamed El Haddadi Arbrqui, who moved to Spain at 18 in a fishing boat and fell in love with Zaida, a lady from Spanish autonomous city of Melilla who was a kitchen hand at the time. He grew up in Galapagar and starred whilst playing for CF Rayo Majadahonda’s Cadete A team scoring 32 goals in 29 matches. He was on loan from Atletico Madrid at the time who had to capture him after a successful trial in 2010. None of the big two Madrid clubs was interested in tying down to their club and Barcelona seized the opportunity by bringing him into their youth team, frustrating the onlooking Manchester City and other top sides.

He made his senior debut for Barcelona on 24 August 2014 in a La Liga match against Elche, scored a goal to become Barcelona’s third youngest goalscorer after Bojan and Lionel Messi. He did not get a lot of game time for the remainder of the season with the Catalans and was sent on loan to Valencia the following campaign. He only managed to score 6 times for Valencia in appearances but has since improved that record with his 2017/18 loan spell at Deportivo Alaves, scoring 10 times and registering 6 assists in 32 matches.

Morocco was interested in having him join the Lions of the Atlas’ 2018 FIFA World Cup squad but saw their joint appeal with the striker to overturn FIFA Cas’ ruling on him switching nationalities denied. FIFA Cas stated that the current rules prohibit him to switch as a per his one-time appearance for Spain in a UEFA Euro Qualifier against Macedonia.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CB - Eric Bailly [Manchester United]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CB - Eric Bailly

The African continent has failed to produce the best talents in this position which means that the focus will be on the Manchester United defender even though he is an already established player. Bailly joined Manchester United from Villarreal for £30m in 2016. He has proved his consistency for the Red Devils but he has had problems with match fitness. He has suffered some setbacks and injuries which have kept him out of the United team of late but the Ivory Coast international is Mourinho’s first preference in the heart of a defense. Bailly is popular for his confident and aggressive approach to the game not forgetting his passing abilities. He can easily pass as a defensive midfielder because of his power, pace and forward runs that he often makes whenever he is given the freedom to roam around the pitch in search for a goal. Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

FT Top 5 Young Players With African Roots: Kylian Mbappe [Paris Saint-Germain]

Born Kylian Mbappe Lottin in Paris to Cameroonian father, Wilfried and Algerian mother, Fayza who hails from Algeria. He stated that he idolized Cristiano Ronaldo while growing up and began his footballing career at AS Bondy being coached by his father who is also his agent. Mbappe then moved to Clairefontaine Academy where he put in good enough performances to be noticed by Real Madrid and Valencia. He however travelled to London for a trial with Chelsea at 11 years of age and appeared once for their youth team against Charlton before settling for Monaco.

He became the youngest player to play for the Monaco first team in the 2015/16 at 16, breaking Thierry Henry’s record. Two months later, in February 2016 - he again eclipsed Thierry Henry’s record of the youngest scorer for the club when he found the back of the net in Monaco’s 3-1 win over Troyes. He had his mark in the 2016/17 season, scoring 26 goals times in 44 matches for Monaco and helping the club to their first Ligue 1 title in seventeen years. Mbappe also headlined Monaco’s excellent UEFA Champions League campaign that saw them reach the semi-finals, scoring against the likes Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund becoming the youngest French scorer in the competition.

He is currently on loan at Paris St Germain from Monaco in a deal which is understood to lead to a permanent move for the 19-year-old in the summer. The fee is rumored to be  €145 million and  €35 million add-ons. He has enjoyed the switch to Paris, forming a ruthless frontline with Cavani and Neymar that saw them score goals for fun in the 2017/18 Champions League campaign. He is set to appear for France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia as he has impressed for the Les Bleus ever since making his debut in March 2017.