It’s exactly 26 days to the biggest football extravaganza in Africa, the Africa Cup of Nations.
All-time Record winners Egypt will host this year’s championship.
Here is a build-up to the biennial championship with today’s article looking at the players that have the most appearances at Africa Cup of Nations.
Ahmed Hassan and Rigobert Song of Egypt and Cameroon respectively are the two players with the most appearances at Africa Cup of Nations having played at eight different editions.
Coincidentally, the two legends featured for their respective national teams at the same time, both playing at AFCON between 1996 and 2010.
Hassan played in eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Egypt, winning the tournament four times, in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. In the 2006 tournament, he was named the captain and scored four goals in six matches.
He was named best player of the tournament after winning his second title and Egypt’s fifth, a feat he repeated in 2010 at the age of 34.
In 2008, Hassan captained Egypt to their sixth Africa Cup of Nations victory.
Ahmed Hassan is one of a number of players who have earned more than 100 international caps for Egypt, and is currently the most capped male player for any country, ahead of Mohamed Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia and Claudio Suárez of Mexico with 184 appearances.
He also holds the record for most Africa Cup of Nations won by any player in history.
Rigoberto Song currently the head coach of the U23 Cameroon national team also appeared at Africa Cup of Nations eight times.
Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre back but could also operate at right back. He served as a captain in five Africa Cup of Nations editions (the ones he did not captain for Cameroon were South Africa 1996, Burkina Faso 1998 and Angola 2010), a record. He holds the record of most consecutive games played in the tournament with 35 first team games.
He won two Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002. With 137 appearances, Song holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Cameroon national team and also played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010.
List of Players
8- Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
8 – Rigobert Song (Cameroon) 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
7- Essam El Hadary (Egypt) 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017
7- Hossam Hassan (Egypt)1986, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006
7- Siaka Tiéné (Ivory Coast) 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015
7 – Kolo Touré (Ivory Coast) 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015
7- Boubacar Barry (Ivory Coast) 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015
7- Geremi Njitap (Cameroon) 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
7 – Seidou Keita (Mali) 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015