Emilio Nsue in AFCON 2023 and Other Players Who Play Different Positions for Club and Country

• Emilio Nsue continued in his striking role for his national side, Equatorial Guinea
• The right-back/striker scored a hat-trick against GUinea-Bissau on January 18
• Nsue is one of the few players who play different positions for the national and club sides

The second matchday of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations began in earnest, with Equatorial Guinea brushing Guinea-Bissau aside.

The Nzalang Nacional came into this game on the back of an impressive one-all draw against Nigeria. Emilio Nsue was the main man as he completed his hat-trick in the 61st minute.

The 34-year-old is the top scorer of his nation with 21 goals, 14 more than the closest challenger, according to stats from Transfermarkt.

But get this: Nsue is predominantly used as a right-back for his professional club, CF Intercity, in Spain's lower league, in contrast to where his country uses him.

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Players who play different positions for club and country

As Sports Brief looks into it, he isn't the only one. Many top players have in the past played in different positions for their national teams from where their club managers use them.

1. Alphonso Davies - Bayern Munich and Canada

Alphonso Davies' greatest selling point is his pace and trickery with the ball. In Germany, he is used as a left-back where he has made the position his own under the different managers Bayern Munich has had over the years.

But when he heads North for national duty with Canada, the 23-year-old has always been deployed further up the pitch as a winger or as a number 10. He played there during their 2022 World Cup journey in Qatar.

2. Ivan Perisic - Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia

Currently sidelined with an ACL injury, the Croat is one of the most versatile players to ever grace a football pitch.

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Perisic's awareness going forward has seen him play for his national side as a winger. It is the same position that he shone in as they reached the 2018 World Cup final and semifinal four years later.

But at club level, the former Inter Milan player has always been used as a left-back or a wingback, depending on the formation.

3. Federico Valverde - Real Madrid and Uruguay

Valverde's never-tiring attitude has made him a darling with the Los Blancos faithful. Carlo Ancelotti has repeatedly used him as a right winger on multiple occasions - the same place where he conjured up an assist for Vinicius Junior to score the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final.

In Uruguay, he drops down to his preferred midfield role.

"I always liked playing in midfield, it's where I feel most comfortable, but when I played as a winger, it was when I was happiest playing football," he said as quoted by Sportskeeda.

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4. Rachel Daly - Aston Villa W and England

Crossing over momentarily to the women's side, Rachel Daly has often come in handy for Sarina Wiegman. She has played in almost all positions in her life, but it is the left-back and striker that she is well known for.

As a striker, she starred for Aston Villa last season in the Women's Super League and won the Golden Boot with 22 goals - the joint-most goals ever scored by a player in a single season.

Despite this, Wiegman used her as a left-back in the 2023 World Cup, where she still starred as the Three Lionesses reached the final.

Notable mentions

Naturally a midfielder, Eduardo Camavinga, has been forced a couple of times to play a s a left-back when the injuries pile up for Ancelotti. Didier Deschamps followed the same trend when he used the 21-year-old in a similar position.

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Juan Cuadrado sometimes plays on the wing for his national side, Colombia, compared to the fullback position he occupies at club level.

Ghana draw inspiration from Messi's Argentina

Sports Brief has also reported that Ghana fans remain hopeful that the Black Stars will turn around its fortunes despite the loss to Cape Verde.

The West African giants fell to a shock 2-1 loss in their opening game, putting their 2023 AFCON chances into instant jeopardy.

The fans are, however, drawing inspiration from Argentina, who lost their first game at the 2022 World Cup but still went on to win the competition.