As the 2023-24 European league season concludes, several African players delivered standout performances.
Here is Soccernet.ng‘s selection of the African XI of the Season from the continent’s major leagues, set up in a 3-4-3 formation.
Goalkeeper
Andre Onana (Manchester United & Cameroon)
Onana had a mixed first season in the Premier League after his move from Inter Milan.
Despite some mistakes, he played every minute for Manchester United, making 149 saves and earning nine clean sheets.
He was also United’s main man in goal as the Red Devils stunned Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Wembley to lift the FA Cup.
Defenders
Achraf Hakimi (PSG & Morocco)
For the second year in a row, Achraf Hakimi made the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year after another excellent campaign for Paris Saint Germain.
The Moroccan right-back featured in 25 games, scored four goals, and provided five assists as PSG claimed their 12th Ligue 1 crown and Hakimi’s third.
Hakimi also made key contributions, including a goal and an assist, to help PSG reach the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League where they were stopped by Borussia Dortmund.
The 2023-24 campaign reinforced the fact that Hakimi remains the best African right-back in the game.
Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen & Burkina Faso)
Edmond Tapsoba was a consistent performer in the heart of the defence for Bayer Leverkusen as he helped the Bundesliga winners boast the best defensive record in the division.
A menace for opposing strikers, Tapsoba featured in 28 of Bayer’s 24 league games while also impressing in the Europa League and the DFB Pokal.
Calvin Bassey (Fulham & Nigeria)
Bassey impressed in his debut Premier League season with Fulham, making 29 appearances and scoring a crucial goal against Manchester United.
He formed an excellent partnership with Tosin Adarabioyo for Fulham and their defensive wall lifted the Cottagers to their highest Premier League finish in recent times.
Midfielders
Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao & Ghana)
Inaki Williams was the perfect foil for his younger brother who played on the opposite flank for one of the best Athletic Bilbao teams in recent times.
Ghana ace Williams scored 12 goals and provided three assists, playing a crucial role in Athletic Bilbao’s impressive fifth-place finish in La Liga.
The 29-year-old also scored twice, including in the semifinal win over Atletico Madrid, as Athletic Bilbao defeated Mallorca in the final to win the Copa del Rey title – the club’s first since 1984.
Frank Anguissa (Napoli & Cameroon)
During a tough year for Napoli, during which the club went through three different managers, Frank Anguissa was one of the team’s strong pillars.
While many around him lost their form as Napoli surrendered their Scudetto crown, Anguissa was a consistent performer, featuring in 34 league games and making two assists.
Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United & Ghana)
In his first season in the pressure cooker of the English Premier League, Mohammed Kudus glittered and glowed with several nutmegs, dribbles, tricks, and spectacular goals.
Kudus was the shining light for West Ham, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists, including a spectacular overhead kick against Manchester City.
One of the Ghana international’s brilliant goals was also named as the winner of the Europa League Goal of the Season.
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta BC & Nigeria)
Following on from an excellent debut season in Italy, Ademola Lookman stamped his mark on Serie A this season, netting ten goals and adding six assists in 30 league games.
The 26-year-old winger helped Atalanta reach the final of the Copa Italia which they lost to Juventus.
However, Atalanta’s story changed for the better in the final of the Europa League.
Lookman became the first African to score a hat-trick in a European Cup final as he powered the Goddess to beat Bayer Leverkusen and lift the club’s first Europa League trophy.
Forwards
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt)
Despite enduring a mediocre campaign by his own high standards, Salah still shone brightly, maintaining his status as Liverpool’s finest attacker.
The 31-year-old registered 18 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League to help Liverpool sustain a title charge until the latter end of the campaign.
The season may have ended on a low key for Liverpool, with long-term manager Jurgen Klopp leaving but the Reds still lifted a trophy.
Liverpool defeated Chelsea at Wembley in February to hand Salah the EFL Cup – his tenth title triumph with the Anfield giants.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille & Gabon)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rolled back the hands of time to torment defenders in the French Ligue 1 and the Europa League all season.
The 34-year-old striker smashed 17 goals and provided eight assists in only 34 league appearances.
The former Arsenal man also netted ten goals and created three assists in 13 Europa League games to be named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, despite Marseille bowing out in the semifinals. An unforgettable campaign for the Gabon international.
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen & Nigeria)
Boniface only arrived at Bayer Leverkusen last summer for about €20 million and was expected to need a bit of time to settle in his first season in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
However, the Nigeria international was a hit from the blast of the whistle and went on to record 14 goals and eight assists in just 18 starts in the Bundesliga.
He was named Rookie of the Year as his brilliance propelled Bayer Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga title for the first time in history.
He was also included in the Bundesliga Team of the Season after an exceptional campaign that was nearly marred by injury.
Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen lost the Europa League final to Atalanta but they bounced back to beat Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final and lift the German league and cup double.
Substitutes
Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart & Guinea)
Serhou Guirassy produced the most spectacular campaign of his career, scoring an astonishing 28 goals in 28 league appearances for Stuttgart – a tally bettered only by Harry Kane’s insane 36 goals for Bayern Munich.
One of the deadliest finishers in the business, Guirassy was key to helping Stuttgart finish above Bayern Munich on the Bundesliga table.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli & Nigeria)
Despite spending over a month away at the AFCON with the Super Eagles, Victor Osimhen still ended the campaign among the Italian Serie A top scorers for a disappointing Napoli.
The reigning Africa Player of the Year concluded the campaign with 17 goals and four assists and he will be one of the most sought-after forwards during this summer transfer window.
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford & Cameroon)
Despite injuries, Mbeumo contributed nine goals and six assists in 25 appearances, becoming a vital player for Brentford.
Maduka Okoye (Udinese & Nigeria)
Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye helped Udinese avoid relegation with five clean sheets in his debut Serie A season.
Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest & Ivory Coast)
Boly was a steady presence for Forest, making 20 appearances and contributing two goals and an assist.
Yoane Wissa (Brentford & DR Congo)
Wissa had his best season at Brentford, scoring 12 goals and providing three assists in 34 games.
Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea & Senegal)
Jackson had a promising debut season with Chelsea, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists.
Africa’s Best XI of the 2023-24 Season
GK: Andre Onana
RCB: Achraf Hakimi
CB: Edmond Tapsoba
LCB: Calvin Bassey
AML: Ademola Lookman
MC: Mohammed Kudus
MC: Frank Anguissa
AMR: Inaki Williams
RF: Mohamed Salah
CF: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
LF: Victor Boniface