The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021) has come and gone leaving behind a lot to talk about. One of such things is the team of the tournament based on WhoScored ratings.
Recall that Senegal and Egypt played in the final of the AFCON 2021 on Sunday, February 6, 2022. Senegal won 4-2 on penalties.
As expected, the team of the tournament in AFCON 2021 is dominated by players from Senegal and Egypt. Other countries that have players on the list are Morocco, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
Below are the players that made it to the team of the tournament in AFCON 2021 based on their WhoScored ratings:
- Goalkeeper: Mohamed Abou Gabal (Egypt) – 7.63 rating
Surprisingly, the WhoScored rating of Senegalese goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy was not as high as that of the goalkeeper of Egypt, Mohamed Abou Gabal. Hence, the Egyptian goalkeeper whose rating is 7.63 was named the goalkeeper of the team of the tournament. He is the only goalkeeper in the tournament that did not concede in an open play throughout his time on the pitch.
- Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – 7.63 rating
Achraf Hakimi of Morocco earned a 7.63 rating to occupy the right-back position in the AFCON 2021 team of the tournament. He scored two of the only three free kicks that were scored in the tournament.
- Centre-back: Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) – 7.16 rating
Senegalese center-back, Kalidou Koulibaly earned the CB role in the AFCON team of the tournament with a 7.16 rating. Despite being a defender, he made 46 accurate long ball passes throughout the tournament which was more than any other outfield player.
- Centre-back: Abdou Diallo (Senegal) – 7.15 rating
Abdou Diallo of Senegal partnered his countryman, Koulibaly in the CB role of the team of the tournament. Diallo made 295 accurate passes throughout the tournament which earned him a 7.15 rating.
- Left-back: Saliou Ciss (Senegal) – 7.27 rating
Saliou Ciss of Senegal has a 7.27 rating to earn himself the left-back role in the team of the tournament. He has a record of 1.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90 minutes throughout AFCON 2021.
- Right midfield: Nicolas Pepe (Ivory Coast) – 7.97 rating
Nicolas Pepe earned a 7.97 rating for his contribution to Ivory Coast run in the tournament. He earned the bragging rights as the tournament’s right midfielder after making 3.2 key passes per 90 minutes and scoring two goals in AFCON 2021.
- Central midfield: Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast) – 7.64 rating
Ibrahim Sangare has an overall rating of 7.64 in the tournament which gave him a slot in the central midfield role of the team of the tournament. He made 2.3 key passes per 90 minutes, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the entire tournament.
- Central midfield: Moses Simon (Nigeria) – 7.60 rating
Moses Simon is the only Nigerian player on the team of the tournament. Simon is the only player in the tournament that completed five dribbles per game which earned him 7.60 ratings and a spot in the team of the tournament.
- Left midfield: Sofiane Boufal (Morocco) – 7.51 rating
Sofiane Boufal of Morocco earned a 7.51 rating after scoring three goals. He made 4.3 passes per 90 minutes and 3.4 dribbles per 90 minutes to earn a spot in the AFCON 2021 team of the tournament.
- Striker: Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) – 7.94 rating
Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon was one of the most fierce strikers in AFCON 2021. The striker earned a 7.94 rating after scoring 8 goals and made more shots than any other player in the tournament.
- Striker: Sadio Mane (Senegal) – 7.54 rating
Sadio Mane of Senegal partnered Aboubakar in the AFCON 2021 team of the tournament. Mane earned a 7.54 rating after scoring three goals, made 2.8 dribbles per 90 minutes, and was directly involved in 5 goals.
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