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Top five: Ranking Africa’s best teams of the decade

World Cup Qualification CAF

Mali

Ghana

Nigeria

South Africa

Les Fennecs had been struggling for much of the two years before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, missing out on the World Cup amidst a series of managerial changes that hadn’t worked out.
However, after taking the helm in August 2018, Belmadi began to revitalise the North Africans…even if they didn’t initially set the world alight during the Afcon qualifying campaign.

At the tournament itself, it all came together, as they blew away Kenya, Tanzania and Guinea in the early stages, as well as downing Senegal 1-0 in a cagey group-stage encounter.

Admittedly, they rode their luck with a penalty-shootout victory over the Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals, while Riyad Mahrez’s 95th-minute free-kick ensured passage against Nigeria in the semis, before Senegal were dispatched—again—in the final.

With several key men from this team ageing, it remains to be seen whether they can muster a similar effort in tournaments to come, but for their attacking vibrancy, their control and the way they won over their fanbase so emphatically, Algeria make the cut here.

Algeria 2019

The Golden Generation had largely been written off before Herve Renard took over in late 2014, with the Elephants having missed out—yet again—on the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup.
Their confidence had been battered after consistently failing to clinch the Nations Cup, while figurehead Didier Drogba had stepped out of the spotlight after retiring from international football.

However, Renard transformed the side, severing a few of the lingering old faces—Sol Bamba was one notable figure who has jettisoned—and turning to youth to complement some of the more experienced heads.

So, Kolo Toure partnered Wilfried Kanon and Eric Bailly in defence, while Yaya Toure and Gervinho thrived alongside the likes of Serge Aurier, Max Gradel and Wilfried Bony.

When everything ticked, they were a fine and balanced team, and the Copa Barry-inspired drama of their shootout victory over Ghana in the final will live long in the memory.

Ivory Coast 2015

Like Algeria and the Ivory Coast, Nigeria enjoyed one of their greatest successes amidst low expectation, with Stephen Keshi’s young side not expected to have too much of an impact at the 2013 Nations Cup.
They rode their luck at times in the group stage, requiring a Victor Moses double against Ethiopia to progress to the knockouts, but in the knockouts, the unheralded Sunday Mba came to the fore, scoring winners against the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso (in the final) as the Super Eagles clinched their third continental crown.

While Mba’s rise from obscurity to become the darling of the country was the headline, Vincent Enyeama’s leadership, the defensive partnership of Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona, and John Obi Mikel’s double act with Ogenyi Onazi in midfield were all key components of a fine side.

While their greatest performance as a unit was in the Afcon semi-final victory over Mali, they’d go on to trounce Tahiti 6-1 at the Confederations Cup later that year, and reached the knockout stages of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after beating Bosnia-Herzegovina and drawing with Iran in the group.

Nigeria 2013-14

So much focus is put on Ghana’s exploits at the 2010 World Cup, that it’s become easy to overlook their Nations Cup campaign earlier that year, when they held a magnificent Egypt team for 85 minutes in the final before Gedo broke Black Stars hearts.
Up to that point, the West Africans had dispatched Togo, Angola and Nigeria en route to the final, with Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew in particularly exceptional form.

Those two would again be central to Ghana’s campaign at the World Cup in South Africa, as Milovan Rajevac’s talented side became only the third African team to reach the quarter-finals at the grandest stage of all.

Amidst the notoriety of the latter stages of the Stars’ campaign, their opening 1-0 victory over an excellent Serbia team and subsequent 1-1 draw with Australia in Rusenburg have largely been overlooked, with Gyan the goalscorer on both of those occasions.

In the Last 16, again, Baby Jet stole the show, netting a 93rd-miute extra-time winner against the United States to set up that infamous quarter-final against Uruguay.

This Ghana side, even without injured Michael Essien, were more than plucky upstarts, building on the form they’d shown in 2006, marrying athleticism and power with a technical quality and vibrancy in attack.

It was only the Hand of Suarez—and that missed Gyan penalty—that denied them a spot in the final four as Africa’s first ever semi-final representatives.

Ghana 2010

Not the most talented African team of the last decade, nor the most successful, but Zambia’s performance at the 2012 Nations Cup comfortably represents the greatest achievement by any of the continent’s teams over the last decade.
A combination of Renard’s tactical genius and motivational qualities, a few major strokes of luck, and the emotional tide that accompanied the anniversary of the plane crash that killed most of the legendary Zambia team of 1993 carried a fairly modest Chipolopolo team an unlikely continental crown.

Kennedy Mweene was inspirational between the sticks, Stophira Sunzu was imperious in defence, and Emmanuel Mayuka, Rainford Kalaba and Christopher Katongo netted critical goals going forward as Zambia stunned more fancied opponents in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Mayuka’s late winner against Ghana in the semi-final was unforgettable, and the undiluted emotion of their penalty shootout victory over the Ivory Coast’s Golden Generation was perhaps the most remarkable moment in African football over the last 10 years.

Zambia 2012

Top five: Ranking Africa’s best teams of the decade | Goal.com Nigeria

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