Nigerian football stars Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, and William Troost-Ekong have made their predictions for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the upcoming AFCON 2025 tournament.
This inquiry was part of a social media engagement initiated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), aimed at gathering insights from prominent African players.
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The AFCON 2025 tournament is set to take place later this year in Morocco, where Cote d'Ivoire will defend the title they won in 2023.
As anticipation builds ahead of the group stage draw, CAF reached out to various players, including Troost-Ekong, the reigning MVP from AFCON 2023.
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In their responses, Osimhen confidently stated, "Myself," indicating his ambition to claim the title again after a rather quiet AFCON 2023.
Meanwhile, Musa, who serves as captain for the Super Eagles, backed Ademola Lookman, the current African Player of the Year, as his choice for MVP.
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Nigeria’s stand-in skipper at the last tournament in Ivory Coast, Troost-Ekong, took a more diplomatic approach, suggesting that one of his teammates could emerge as MVP due to their collective motivation and form heading into the tournament.
“With the form of my Nigerian teammates, I would predict it to be one of them,” he stated in the interaction shared on Instagram by CAF. “Especially how motivated we all are to go all the way in the next AFCON,” he added.
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Other notable players also chimed in with their predictions. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush were mentioned among potential candidates, while former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang boldly declared that he would be the player of the tournament if he participated.
“If I am there, I will be the player of the tournament, write it down,” the Gabon striker stated.
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These predictions show the competitive spirit and talents within African football, setting the stage for what promises to be another exhilarating tournament.
