Top five youngsters who made their names at U17 AFCON

The 2023 edition of the competition is currently underway

AFCON has been a source of some of the best young players in African football, and the U17 AFCON has been a breeding ground for these talents. The five players mentioned below have all left their mark on the tournament where their future took shape and the world started taking notice of their arrival to international football. These players will be remembered as some of the best players ever to grace the competition.

5. Bertrand Traore

The first name on the list, Bertrand Traore was the star player at the U-17 Nations Cup back in 2011, when he was the key player as Burkina Faso defeated Rwanda in the final. He was always regarded as the fast forward who could exploit places and be a threat to the defense. The versatile forward scored three goals during that tournament, including a double against Egypt in a memorable 4-0 victory. He also played at the 2009 U-17 World Cup.

This finally earned him to get identified by the top teams in Europe and ultimately moved to Chelsea where he managed 10 league appearances during the 2015-16 season. Since 2017, he’s been at Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais, having reached the Europa League final while on loan at Ajax in 2017.

4. Isaac Success

One player who couldn’t replicate his U17 form coming to his senior team performances the 27-year-old was the top scorer in the 2013 edition of the U17 AFCON in Morocco. Success’ return of seven goals fired the Golden Eaglets to a second-place finish after losing to the Ivory Coast via penalties in the final match.

That wasn’t the case back in 2013 when Success top-scored for Nigeria during the African U-17 Championship, where they were defeated by Cote d’Ivoire on penalties during the final. The former Watford striker currently plies his trade in the Italian Serie A where he has scored just a goal in 30 appearances for Udinese this campaign.

3. Samuel Chukwueze

Chukwueze was part of the Nigerian squad that won the 2015 U-17 AFCON. He scored two goals in the tournament and was named the best player of the tournament. He played a major role in helping the Nigerian team win the tournament where his performance during the tournament was in the final against Mali, where he scored the only goal of the game. He received the ball on the edge of the area, before cutting inside and curling a shot into the corner of the net.

His performance at the tournament earned him the Golden Ball award, given to the player who had the biggest impact on the tournament. This was a remarkable achievement for the young player, who had only just turned 17 before the tournament began. Chukwueze has since gone on to become one of the brightest prospects in African football, representing club side Villarreal CF in Spain. ho represented his country at the 2017 Africa U17 Cup of Nations

2. Kelechi Iheanacho

Iheanacho was a key player for the Golden Eaglets in the 2013 U17 AFCON in Morocco. He finished the tournament as the top scorer with seven goals. Nigeria scored a record 13 goals in the group stages, with Iheanacho and Isaac Success accounting for eight of them. Both players hit the target in the 4-2 triumph over Tunisia in the semifinals, but Nigeria lost to Ivory Coast on penalties in the final.

Iheanacho was the second most prolific Nigerian at the 2013 U17 AFCON with his tally of five goals including a hat-trick in their 7-0 thrashing of Congo in the group stage.  Iheanacho’s brilliance powered Nigeria to the title at the FIFA U17 World Cup later that year, where he was named the tournament’s best player. The Super Eagles forward went on to play Premier League for Manchester City and Leicester City.

1. Victor Osimhen

The Napoli striker was already taking the African Sub-continent by storm when he was the top scorer in the 2015 edition of the U17 AFCON in Niger. Osimhen’s record of four goals was not enough for the Golden Eaglets as they finished fourth in the competition after losing their third-place match to Guinea. Mali was the eventual winner of the tournament. He was a shining light for the Golden Eaglets at the 2015 U17 AFCON in Niger, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals. He scored a brace against Zambia and also found the back of the net against Guinea and Nigeria.

Despite his efforts, Nigeria could only manage a fourth-place finish. However, Osimhen’s form continued at the U17 World Cup in Chile later that year, where he scored a record ten goals to lead Nigeria to their fifth title. His performances earned him the tournament’s Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards and currently is on the verge of winning Serie A with Napoli and being the hottest player on the transfer market.