5 Serie A players who can star at AFCON | OneFootball

AFCON gets underway tonight as hosts Morocco take on Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Of all the leagues most affected by the month-long African tournament, Serie A is tied sixth, with a total of 21 players heading south-west from Italy to North Africa.

Of those involved, we’ve selected five of the best that could play a promising role at 2025’s showpiece.

Image via Sporty Fm

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro – Pisa and Nigeria

Ebenezer Akinsanmiro kicks off this list as an intriguing prospect for Nigeria. The 21-year-old Inter loanee will no doubt be hoping for a bit of a break from second-bottom Pisa, and as the Super Eagles aim to rebuild from 2023’s final defeat to Cote d’Ivoire, it could come as a valuable reinjection of confidence.

Pisa’s record this season has made for grim enough reading, as the Torri have conceded 22 goals in 16 Serie A games. However, with midfielder Akinsanmiro picking up his debut under Eric Chelle earlier this month against Egypt, he could return with a raft of valuable experience for the second half of the season.

Neil El Aynaoui – AS Roma and Morocco

Twenty-four-year-old Roma midfielder Neil El Aynaoui only got the first of his six caps in September, but steadily hints at becoming a regular in the centre of the park for Morocco.

The French-born Neil is the son of former professional Tennis player Younes El Aynaoui, and got his start in football with hometown club Nancy in 2018.

He then moved on to Lens in 2023, and particularly impressed in the second of two Ligue 1 seasons with eight goals in 23 games, warranting Roma to swoop in and sign the playmaker for €23.5 million this summer. He takes to the pitch with Morocco this December with hopes that his father’s nation can win their first AFCON title since their only previous triumph in 1976.

Confidence is high after the Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semifinal at Qatar 2022.

Evan Ndicka – AS Roma and Cote d’Ivoire

Another French-born talent, Evan Ndicka has been a consistent part of Cote d’Ivoire’s international core since his debut in the victorious AFCON year of 2023.

Similar to his Giallorossi teammate El Aynaoui, the 26-year-old Parisian will take part in a side that are also high on confidence, as the Elephants arrive as holders. Intriguingly, Ndicka was born in the French capital to a Cameroonian father and an Ivorian mother, and after representing his country of birth from U16 to U21 level, it looks like the towering centre-back made the right international choice.

The 6 ft 4 former Auxerre and Eintracht Frankfurt man not only has the chance to add to his 23 appearances in orange, a solid tournament could help Cote d’Ivoire to their first-ever consecutive AFCON titles.

Odilon Kossounou – Atalanta and Cote d’Ivoire

Following Ndicka, is his partner in the centre of the Cote d’Ivoire backline, Atalanta’s Odilon Koussounou. The 24-year-old Abidjan native is yet another part of 2023’s squad that toppled Nigeria for their first AFCON crown since 2015’s victory in Equatorial Guinea. At 6 ft 3, he also arrives as another big, athletic presence at the back for Emerse Fae’s team.

Kossounou is a player who really burst onto both the international and club scenes. A product of the world-renowned ASEC Mimosas academy (the very same that developed Didier Zokora, Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho, and Salomon Kalou, as well as both Kolo and Yaya Toure), Kossounou’s senior career took shape with a brief teenage stint at Hammarby in Sweden, before he moved to Belgium with Club Brugge.

There, he instantly proved his worth and helped secure two league titles and a Super Cup, before joining Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga in 2021. After an unprecedented treble capped three seasons with Die Werkself, he now plies his trade with Atalanta following an initial loan spell in 2024–25.

Ademola Lookman – Atalanta and Nigeria

Just about taking the top spot in this list is Atalanta and Nigeria star Ademola Lookman. Although it’s fair to say that La Dea’s speedster has struggled so far in 2025-26, with just two goals in 11 Serie A outings, he could play a huge role as he links back up with Super Eagles teammates Osimhen and co. as they seek retribution for 2023’s 2-1 final defeat in Abidjan.

The English-born 28-year-old notched 20 goals in 40 all-competition matches in 2024-25, including 15 goals in Serie A, and five in seven Champions League matches.

That premier European campaign, of course, followed the victorious Europa League run in 2023-24. If Lookman can tap back into the kind of form that saw him blast home a decisive hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin’s final, then Nigeria may just add their fourth AFCON title to the trophy cabinet.

GIFN | Max Bradfield