AFCON 2023: Top 10 Leading Goalscorers As Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue Leads Hunt for Golden Boot

• Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea is leading the top scorers' charts at the 2023 AFCON
• The 34-year-old has already scored five goals to help his side reach the Round of 16
• Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are not in the top 10, having scored one goal each

The race for the Golden Boot of the 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is slowly taking shape.

The 2021 tournament saw Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar crowned the winner of the prestigious award after an impressive campaign.

At the time, the former Al Nassr attacker scored eight goals to cart home the prize.

According to Punch Newspaper, the tally was the most goals scored by any player in the competition since 1974, when Zaire's Pierre Ndaye Mulamba scored nine.

AFCON 2023: A list of goal stats featuring the oldest, youngest, quickest and those who failed to score when it mattered

Football

Going by the current trend in the ongoing edition in Ivory Coast, there is every chance Aboubakar's tally could be surpassed.

Emilio Nsue leads hunt for the Golden Boot

Many had backed the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Nigeria's Victor Osimhen as the favourites for the AFCON Golden Boot.

However, that has not been the case, with Equatorial Guinea's Emilio Nsue emerging as the early contender.

The 34-year-old has been the man of the moment during the just concluded group stage fixtures, with the Intercity ace currently leading the goalscorers charts.

Nsue has already scored five times so far, with his exploits earning the National Thunder a spot in the last 16.

Nsue opened his goal basket with a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau in his side's second Group A fixture before he bagged a brace against hosts Ivory Coast in the final group tie on Tuesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Teammate Seko Fofana Scores the First Goal of AFCON 2023, Video

Football

He will be hoping to add to his tally when Equatorial Guinea takes on Guinea in the knockouts.

Who are the other top scorers?

Algeria's Baghdad Bounedjah sits second with three goals to his name but stands no chance of catching up with Nsue following his side's early elimination.

Bounedjah scored twice against Burkina Faso in his side's 2-2 draw and was also on target against Angola when they drew 1-1.

Ghana's Jordan Ayew sits third with two goals and an assist, while Lamine Camara of Senegal and Lassine Sinayoko of Mali seal the top-five podium with two goals each.

Mane and Salah have scored a goal each, with the latter unlikely to add to his tally after he sustained an injury.

Top 10 goalscorers at the 2023 AFCON:

Fofana sets hosts Ivory Coast on way to win Cup of Nations opener

Football

Mane dedicates goal to teammate

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Sadio Mane refusing to dedicate his goal in the AFCON to his wife.

The Al-Nassr star instead dedicated the goal to his teammate, Cheikhou Kouyate.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the game, the 31-year-old explained the thought process behind his goal, taking advantage of how defenders play at the tournament to beat Andre Onana.