Another new season, and another opportunity for Africa’s most eye-catching players to prove their quality across the world’s biggest leagues.
From household names to exciting up-and-comers, here are seven African stars to keep tabs on across ESPN Africa and beyond during 2024-25.
Tolu Arokodare (Belgium Pro League)
Gift Orban may have departed the Jupiler Pro League — which is being broadcast across Africa this season — but in Genk’s Arokodare, there’s still one Nigerian striker set to be causing headaches for defences across Belgium.
After netting 10 goals last term, he’s already scored twice in his first three games of the season — including an 83rd-minute equaliser against Club Brugge last weekend — prompting praise from head coach Thorsten Fink.
“Believe me,” he told journalists after the 3-2 victory. “There’s no better striker walking around Belgium than Tolu.”
Not everyone agrees, with former Belgium forward Wesley Sonck recently criticising Arokodare for rolling up his sleeves to show off his biceps before a league game.
The 23-year-old promptly responded by flexing his muscles after scoring against Brugge: “It wasn’t necessarily for the haters,” he told local journalists, “but for those who don’t understand football and who point to the stupid things.”
Expect to see Arokodare’s bicep-flexing celebrations plenty more times on ESPN Africa this season.
Youssef En-Nesyri (Turkish Super Lig)
A returning favourite on ESPN Africa this season, the Turkish Super Lig features fierce football rivalries, managerial greats, and some of the continent’s finest players.
The combination of Jose Mourinho and the Fenerbahce fans should be box office, and the Portuguese head coach’s big play in the transfer market has been to recruit the Morocco frontman from Sevilla despite reported interest from his former club AS Roma.
En-Nesyri can blow hot and cold, but he still hit 16 La Liga goals last term, and, at 27, has the quality to tear up the Turkish top tier.
Mourinho has worked with some of the greatest forwards in the history of African football during his career — notably Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Mohamed Salah — and it will be fascinating to see what he can do for the Atlas Lion’s career.
Lyle Foster (English League Championship)
It wasn’t an easy season for Foster or Burnley in the Premier League last season, with the South Africa striker scoring just five goals as the Clarets tumbled out of the top flight.
Vincent Kompany, who trusted the Bafana Bafana star to find the net frequently enough to keep the Lancastrians in the top tier, has departed, but the arrival of Scott Parker should ensure Burnley and Foster are back in the promotion mix come the season’s end.
The 23-year-old registered an assist in Burnley’s first game of 24-25– a 4-1 trouncing of Luton Town — and should feasibly be targetting double figures in the second tier.
Ismael Saibari (Eredivisie)
Currently set to be featuring with Eredivisie heavyweights PSV Eindhoven, don’t be surprised if Morocco’s Saibari is the subject of transfer speculation over the coming weeks.
He was already linked with a move to Arsenal earlier in the year, after catching the eye in the Dutch top flight, and his attitude, strength and technique in possession surely put him on an exciting career trajectory.
Saibari represented Morocco at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but was prevented from participating in the Olympics after PSV denied his wish to participate.
It may prove to be a blessing in disguise, with a rested Saibari less likely to encounter some of the fitness problems that have troubled him in the past.
Victor Boniface (German DFB Pokal)
There’s surely no way that Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen can repeat their astonishing season last term, when they went unbeaten domestically throughout the campaign, won a league-cup double, and reached the Europa League final.
However, Xabi Alonso’s side will surely be desperate to retain the German Cup they won by defeating FC Kaiserslautern 1-0 in May, and you can follow their journey throughout the campaign on ESPN.
For Boniface, Bundesliga Rookie of the Season last term, the challenge will be to return to the searing form he enjoyed before injury stymied his progress in January, also causing him to miss the Nations Cup.
Still, 14 goals was an admirable return during an unforgettable campaign, and you can expect even more from the Super Eagles hitman this term.
Cyriel Dessers (Scottish Premiership)
Unlike his compatriot Boniface, Dessers isn’t riding the crest of a wave as the 24-25 season begins.
He finally returned to something close to peak form last term with 16 goals in 35 top league outings for Rangers, hitting double digits for the first time in a top flight season since scoring 15 for Heracles in 19-20.
In this campaign, he was expected to kick on, but despite netting in the Scottish Premiership game against Motherwell and in the Champions League qualifier first leg against Dynamo Kyiv, he’s found himself scapegoated for the Gers’ premature UCL exit at the hands of the Ukrainian giants.
Dessers cut a frustrated figure during a second leg 2-0 defeat this week as Rangers missed out on a significant financial windfall from the group stage, but expect him to plunder plenty of goals during the course of the SPFL season.
At 29, Dessers is in his prime, and must surely be setting his sights on forcing his way back into the Super Eagles setup.
Temwa Chawinga (NWSL)
Continuing on ESPN across Africa is the USA’s National Women’s Soccer League, where the biggest names in the continent’s football can be found strutting their stuff.
Zambia duo Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji are the two most expensive women players in the history of the game, while Nigeria‘s Asisat Oshoala is arguably the greatest player in African football history.
Perhaps going somewhat under the radar — in comparison to those three — is Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga, who has proven to be the real African signing of the season so far.
During the regular season, the Kansas City Current attacker was joint top scorer — with Banda — with 12 goals, while she also demonstrated her creative qualities with six assists, behind only Croix Bethune of Washington Spirit.
She was Player of the Month for May, and twice made the division’s Team of the Month following her January move from Wuhan Jianghan.
Chawinga should relish the challenge of ensuring KCC can taste the success that their predecessor club FC Kansas City once enjoyed a decade ago.
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