AFCON 2023 Golden Ball Contenders: Players Who Could Be the Best At Ivory Coast Tournament

• The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off on Saturday, January 13
• The tournament will feature top African stars including Victor Osimhen
• Sports Brief takes a look at the top five players to claim the Golden Ball

The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off in a few days, with the competition set to feature top stars from different countries on the continent.

The continental football event was initially scheduled for June and July 2023 but shifted to this year - from January 13 to February 11 - due to concerns over the weather.

The decision by African football governing body - CAF - to shift the date has affected some of the European clubs due to players heading off to represent their countries.

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Ahead of the competition, Sports Brief looks at the favourite players to win the golden ball when the tournament wraps up in mid-February.

5 players to win AFCON Golden Ball

Sadio Mane

The former Liverpool star won the best player in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations ahead of Vincent Aboubakar and Mohamed Salah.

The Al-Nassr winger led Senegal to their first-ever AFCON triumph and he will be one of the players to look out for at this year's edition.

Victor Osimhen

The reigning African Footballer of the Year is tipped as one of the favourites to win the Best Player at the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast.

The Super Eagles star will spearheaded Nigeria at the 34th edition of the competition and is be expected to replicate his blistering form at Napoli.

Osimhen is arguably the best African player currently going into the tournament.

Mohammed Kudus

The Ghanaian international moved to England in the summer after leaving Ajax for West Ham United. He has since hit the ground running in the Premier League.

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The Hammers winger always turns up for his country and could be the missing piece of the puzzle for the Black Stars to lift the title for the first time since 1982.

Victor Boniface

The former Bodo/Glimt striker is one of Europe's top strikers this season due to his performance for Bundesliga side, Bayer Leverkusen.

The Nigerian international has scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in 16 outings for his team this season, per Transfermarkt.

Mohamed Salah

Going into the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the Liverpool superstar is already a potential winner of the golden ball considering his current form for the Merseysiders.

The former Chelsea winger's performance for the Reds so far this season is an indication that he is one of the favourites and Egypt will bank on his experience.

Salah 'copies' Kudus's celebration

Sports Brief previously reported that Mohamed Salah is the latest player to emulate Mohammed Kudus' trending celebration after scoring for Liverpool.

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The West Ham United and Ghana star has set a trend of sitting on the advertising hoardings after scoring with numerous players replicating his style.

In a post shared on social media, Salah was seen running to the advertising board to have a sit-down while celebrating his score against Newcastle United.