WIZARDS OF AFCON

Robson Sharuko

Metros Editor

THEY both share a similar and very powerful Biblical name, Christ, and they are part of a special group of young African footballers.

Both are 19.

Christian Kofae is a Cameroonian teenager who is starring at Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.

Christ Inao Oulai is an Ivorian teenager who is making waves in the Turkish Super Lig where he shares the dressing room with Andre Onana.

The two are part of the special group of three athletes who were named the Most Promising young footballers at the 2025 AFCON finals.

The third member of the group is Tawanda Maswanhise.

Both Kofae and Oulai played four matches at the AFCON finals with the former clocking 330 minutes and the latter clocking 280 minutes.

Maswanhise clocked just 96 minutes, after playing one full game, and being thrust into action in the closing moments of the other game.

But, still, the Zimbabwean met the grade for the special group of the cream of the upcoming stars.

To appreciate how good Maswanhise is, one has to take a deep dive into the careers of the two teenage stars who were named alongside him in this special group.

Kofae was thrust to lead the line for the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Morocco and scored twice in the four games he played.

He joined Bayer Leverkusen during the last European summer and he has already become the youngest goal-scorer, in the club’s history, in the Champions League.

At 19 years and five months, he scored against Bafana Bafana and became the second youngest Cameroonian to score a goal in an AFCON knockout match.

He is only behind Samuel Eto’o who was 18 years and 10 months when he scored for the Indomitable Lions at this stage of the tournament.

Like Maswanhise, he says his country comes first.

“I try to bring a little joy to Cameroonians… It’s a childhood dream come true, and we will continue to work to go as far as possible in this tournament.”

Oulai is considered to be so special by his Turkish club Trabzonspor they refused to sell him for 20 million euros.

Giants Galatasaray, the club which Norman Mapeza played for in the UEFA Champions League, had come knocking on Trabzonspor’s door trying to lure him into their stable.

He says his dream is to return to France to play for PSG.

“There are people who find it weird but I like Ligue 1. I’m not attracted to the Premier League. I like Ligue 1.

“A club that makes me dream today? PSG. I like it.”