Christian Eriksen Names Best African Player He Has Played Alongside

Christian Eriksen Names Best African Player He Has Played Alongside

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:11 PM
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Christian Eriksen logo
C. Eriksen
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V. Wanyama
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  • Christian Eriksen has named Victor Wanyama as the best African player he played alongside
  • Wanyama played alongside Eriksen for four years before leaving for the MLS in 2020
  • The pair was part of the strongest Tottenham side built in recent years under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has hailed Victor Wanyama as the best African player he has every played with.

It was quite a bold choice from Eriksen, who played with the Kenyan for four years at North London outfit Tottenham.

Wanyama joined the LilyWhites in 2016 from Southampton and was placed at the heart of Tottenham’s midfield, where he formed a partnership with Moussa Dembele.

Eriksen, Wanyama, Tottenham
Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team's first goal with Christian Eriksen on April 13, 2019. Photo by Tottenham Hotspur
Source: Getty Images

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Together, the pair helped Spurs make a strong surge towards the Premier League title in 2016/17 as they finished second behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Injury problems however led to Wanyama falling down the pecking order at Tottenham, and he eventually secured a transfer to Montreal Impact in the MLS.

For Eriksen, he spent enough time with Wanyama at Tottenham to fully appreciate his qualities as a holding midfielder.

Asked to name the best African player who played with him, Eriksen told Premier League Productions (12/09/22 at 11:10 am)

“The best African player? I would say (played) with, Victor Wanyama.
“First of all, he loves pasta. That was a big thing, I think, for him.

“In regards to his playing style, he was the man always protecting the midfield. In my role, as the free role, it was him to protect and he did that very well. He was very good defensively and I loved playing alongside him.”

Eriksen at Man United

Since his Tottenham days, Eriksen has also had an interesting career trajectory as he joined Inter Milan, but a near-death incident in the Euro 2020 left Inter with no choice but to let him go.

The Dane would then make a return to the Premier League for the 2021/22 season, joining the newly promoted Brentford.

After his one-season deal ran out, Manchester United snapped up his services, and he is now an integral part of Erik Ten Hag’s squad.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.