The New Year will be another busy one for Africa’s top footballers with plenty of action at both national team and club level.
The highlight will come at the end of 2025 when the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Morocco but before that there are the annual club competitions, the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA Club World Cup on the calendar.
CAFOnline has selected four young Africans footballers who are sure to enhance their growing reputations in 2025.
NGAL’AYEL MUKAU
The 20-year-old Mukau is Belgian-born but always determined to play for the Democratic Republic of Congo and made his debut for the Leopards in November’s final round of TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. It was of several new milestones for the defensive midfielder, whose career has catapulted leaps and bounds over the last months. He was prised from anonymity by French club Lille, whose president Olivier Létang got in his car and drove across the border to Mechelen to make sure he secured Mukau’s signature for a 4-million Euro fee and beat off the interest of Italian clubs. It mean that in the space of a year, ‘Gala’ went from playing in the reserve league in Belgium to scoring a double for LOSC as they won away at Bologna in the UEFA Champions League. He was a second half substitute for DR Congo’s defeat against Guinea but did enough in 30 minutes to gain a place in the next match against Ethiopia.
ANIS HADJ MOUSSA
The 22-year-old winger is one of many top African talents who made a significant breakthrough in 2024 and of whom much more is expected in the 12 months ahead. He made his debut for Algeria in March and finished the year with three caps, but it is at club level that he caught the eye, notably in the UEFA Champions League. Hadj Moussa moved from Vitesse Arnhem, relegated from the Dutch top flight at the end of last season, to Feyenoord Rotterdam. Goals against Salzburg and Sparta Prague bookended a goal against Manchester City that precipitated a dramatic comeback for the Dutch club who were 3 -0 down but ended with an away point from a 3-3 draw. Hadj Moussa’s tricky footwork and technique has drawn rave reviews and he is now adding scoring key goals to his repertoire.
JERRY AFRIYIE
Rarely is a player from the third division of any league given a chance to play for the national team but that is exactly what happened to Afriyie in November when the Black Stars of Ghana called him up to their squad for their last TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Niger. Still three weeks shy of his 18th birthday, the teenage striker from Thoughts FC came on to score in Accra and make a strong statement about his potential. That, of course, had been evident one month earlier when he was a key component for Ghana’s under-20 side as they clinched their place at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations finals with success at WAFU B qualifying tournament in Togo. Afriyie scored five goals in five games and was named Player of the Tournament.
RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG
The tricky midfielder from Orlando Pirates won his first cap for South Africa in June’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe, just days after a stunning piece of individual skill in the South Africa’s cup final as his club snatched a dramatic stoppage time victory over league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Mofokeng has gone onto become a Bafana Bafana squad regular, picking up four more caps in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as South Africa finished top of their group and qualified for Morocco. He also helped Pirates into the group phase of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League where they sit second in Group C. Mofokeng has a deceptive turn of pace and incredible skills at his disposal and is a nightmare for rival defenders. He is expected to stamp a mark at both club and national team level in 2025.
