Sadio Mane’s five-a-side lineup of African players is packed with Chelsea talent.
The African Cup of Nations has not disappointed so far in providing some festive entertainment.
Chelsea have no players at AFCON this year, and that has to be seen as an advantage with multiple games per week for as long as the tournament is on.
Nicolas Jackson is Chelsea’s only representative at AFCON, and he’s already playing his football away from Stamford Bridge.
Would you take Nicolas Jackson back at Chelsea?
Despite averaging a goal involvement every 90 minutes for Bayern, they’re not yet convinced by Jackson.
541 mins
5 goals
1 assist
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But it’s a shame in a way, considering the number of African greats that have played at the club over the years.
Mane names some of the best in his African five-a-side.
Sadio Mane picks four former Chelsea players AFCON five-a-side team
Mane is his country’s greatest ever player, performing at the highest level for club and country and winning trophies everywhere he has gone.
A Champions League, Premier League, and the 2021 AFCON are some of the crowning moments of his career.
Mane was asked for his all-time best five-a-side in a post for the Saudi Pro League’s Instagram account.
You can choose one Chelsea legend to play in Enzo Maresca’s team today. Who are you picking? 🤔
Imagine this Chelsea team with Didier Drogba! 🔥
Enzo Maresca of Chelsea celebrates
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
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Edouard Mendy
Mendy is Africa’s most successful goalkeeper and a compatriot of Mane’s. He was Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper for two seasons, crowned by a 2021 Champions League win.
Inconsistency was a feature of Mendy’s game at times, but that trophy matters more than anything Chelsea have done this decade.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Koulibaly never really settled at Chelsea, but he was one of Europe’s most dominant centre-backs when he was at Napoli.
He was at Chelsea for just one season, and a quite terrible season at that, culminating in a 12th-place finish.
Yaya Toure
The only non-Chelsea player in Mane’s side.
Samuel Eto’o
To an even greater extent than Koulibaly, Eto’o’s best work was done before his move to Stamford Bridge. He spent just one season at the club, largely as a squad player.
But he is without a doubt one of Africa’s greatest players. There’s one player, though, who might well be ahead of him.
Didier Drogba celebrates scoring for Chelsea in Champions League final vs Bayern Munich
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Didier Drogba
Drogba is Chelsea’s greatest African player, and possibly the best to come from the continent. He won everything and led the line during the club’s best era.
Any African list has to have the Ivorian featured. He was part of his country’s golden generation, but never managed to win AFCON. Ivory Coast would do so just a year after his retirement.
Chelsea have had the most African greats of any club
While some of Mane’s Chelsea picks didn’t play at their peak while at the club, it shows the attraction there is to Chelsea from some of Africa’s most talented products.
It’s down to the likes of Drogba, but also Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, and cult heroes like Salomon Kalou and Victor Moses.
Now more than ever, the pool of talent in Africa is unbelievable, and Chelsea should focus some of their very frequent recruitment and continue the African legacy at the club.
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