As the African Cup of Nation kick-starts on January 13, two players will be aiming to equal former Cameroon national team captain, Rigobert Song’s as Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan’s record with highest number of AFCON participations.
Andre Ayew
The Ghanian captain who plays as a winger or forward for Ligue 1 club, Le Havre made his senior national team debut during Ghana’s friendly match against Senegal on 21 August as a late-match substitute.
On 11 January 2008, Ayew was named to the Ghana squad to play his first Africa Cup of Nations. Since his debut in 2008, Ayew has been a consistent player of the Black Stars, having only a single absence in 2013.
With 34 games played at the AFCON, Ayew eyes rewriting history as the player with the most AFCON games played – a record held by Cameroon’s coach Rigobert Song with 36 games played.
Added to that, Ayew will create even more AFCON history by becoming the first player ever to score in seven different AFCON tournaments if he finds the back of the net in the upcoming competition.
Youssef Msakni
34-year-old Tunisian player, Youssef Msakni will also be making his 8 appearance at the continental jamboree. Since his first participation in 2010, Youssef has not missed any edition of the AFCON.
Known for his technique and undeniable talent, he is considered a Tunisian compatriots who has made valuable contributions to the Tunisian national team.
He has scored 22 goals in 98 games for the Tunisian national team. Despite the fact that he has been playing for almost ten years in a league whose level is not very strong, he has always lived up to expectations at the national team level.