The African Nations Cup was crowned by the hosts' Ivory Coast triumph, but the best player of the tournament was not a representative of the winners.
William Troost-Ekong, the center-back of the Nigerian national team, who shone in the tournament, was recognized as the best player of this AFCON.
The 30-year-old defender scored three goals in this tournament, including a goal in the final. He also contributed four times to the "dry gates" maintenance.
As Fabrizio Romano reports, such attention from the PAOK defender attracted the interest of other clubs. The situation was particularly intriguing for the Saudi Arabian team.
The best young player of the tournament was the "elephants" forward Simon Adingra, who had 2 assists and 1 goal to his name. He scored a very important goal in the quarterfinals against Mali, where extra time was needed.
The tournament's goalkeeper was South Africa's representative Ronwen Williams, who heroically played penalty shootouts twice and eventually won the bronze of the tournament.
The top scorer, Equatorial Guinea's forward Emilio Nsue (5 goals), won the golden boot.
Meanwhile, in the Asia Cup, where Qatar triumphed, the golden boot and the prize for the best player of the tournament were won by Qatar's striker Akram Afifi (8 goals).
William Troost-Ekong, best AFCON Player!
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) February 11, 2024
Ronwen Williams, best AFCON Goalkeeper!
Emilio Nsue, best AFCON Goalscorer! pic.twitter.com/CnRlMsctWL