The 2006 African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament
- DC Soccer correspondent Joseph Schoenbauer from Lusaka, Zambia, February 13, 2006
In the 25th edition of the African Cup of Nations, hosts Egypt prevailed over Ivory Coast in the final after penalties to become champions of Africa for a record 5th time. DCSoccer now brings you both the team of the tournament and the disappointments of the tournament.
Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper: Essam El Hadari, Egypt – Conceded only 3 goals and then came up big when it mattered most, saving from Didier Drogba and Bakari Kone in the Final penalty kick shoot-out to send the whole of Egypt into celebration.
Right Back: Mohamed Barakat, Egypt – A constant for Egypt at right back, skilful on the ball and in the tackle, his play up the wing contributed greatly to Egypt’s tournament leading 12 goals scored.
Center Back: Kolo Toure, Cote D’Ivoire – Big, strong, quick and self-assured, he is fast proving to be one of the best central defenders in the game today.
Left Back: Taye Taiwo, Nigeria – Of all the left backs in the tournament, of who most were mirror images of each other, the young Marseille defender was able to make a greater difference, mostly with his powerful free kick that gave Nigeria the 1-0 edge over group rivals Ghana.
Defensive Midfield: Didier Zokora, Cote D’Ivoire – “Le Maestro” formed an impressively strong double pivot in central midfield with teammate Yaya Toure, giving the players in front of them the freedom to get forward. Proved to Africa he is deserving of the praise coming to him from France, where he plays for Saint-Etienne.
Right Midfield: Daniel Ngomkone, Cameroon – Linked well with striker Eto’o and fellow midfielder Jean Makoun, he is capable of beating his defenders off the dribble and of decisive passes. He was the top winger of the tournament ahead of Diomansy Kamara of Senegal.
Attacking Midfield: Matumona Zola, DR Congo – Responsible for the playmaking of arguably the most attractive and fluid attacking futbol of the tournament. His skillful left foot was more than enough to deal with the more physically built defenders he came up against.
Left Midfield: Ahmed Hassan, Egypt – 4 goals scored and contributed to several others, the captain of the winning Egyptian side showed his strength of character to make his penalty in the Final shoot out after stopping the heart of the entire nation when his PK caromed of the post in extra time.
Forward: Pascal Feindouno, Guinee – His 4 goals inspired Guinee to top of their group ahead of reigning Champions Tunisia and ex-heavy weights South Africa. Unfortunately, his late goal in the knockout stages wasn’t enough to overcome Senegal.
Forward: Francileudo Dos Santos, Tunisia – Gave Tunisia the start to the tournament they wanted with a hat trick against Zambia. He followed that performance up with another goal against South Africa to send Tunisia into the knockout stages, giving him 4 goals in 3 games for the tournament.
Forward: Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon – Scored 5 goals to lead all goal scorers. His goals came from all areas, ranging from powerful headers, to precise free kicks, to outrageous rockets from outside the 18-yard box, Eto’o did no harm in setting himself up to capture his third African Player of the Year award in succession.
Honorable Mentions:
Goalkeeper: Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria
Defense: Hatem Trabelsi, Tunisia
Defense: Rigobert Song, Cameroon
Midfield: Yaya Toure, Cote D’Ivoire
Midfield: Jean Makoun, Cameroon
Midfield: Diomansy Kamara, Senegal
Midfield: Jon Obi Mikel, Nigeria
Forward: Tresor LuaLua, DR Congo
Forward: Henri Camara, Senegal
Forward: Didier Drogba, Cote D’Ivoire
Biggest Disappointments
Ahmed Mido, Egypt – His actions after finding out he was being substituted in the semifinals against Senegal were an embarrassment to the coach, the team, himself and the whole of Egypt. Especially since his replacement scored with his first touch, justifying the coach’s decision.
Collins Mbesuma, Zambia – While he may not be well known outside of Zambia and Southern Africa, he is the icon of all Zambians and spoken in the same breath as Ronaldo. His performances included a magical meg against Guinee, but no goals.
Arouna Kone, Cote D’Ivoire – With Aruna Dindane out of the team for personal reasons, this tournament was Arouna Kone’s chance to prove he was worthy of his place in the starting lineup come World Cup time. But his performances were either down right anonymous or ineffective at best, a big surprise for someone finding the goal regularly enough for his club team PSV.
Obafemi Martins, Nigeria - The hype grew quickly as the tournament grew closer, and for good reason. Oba Oba is one of the most exciting young talents in Italian Serie A and African futbol. But apart from his two late goals against Senegal, his play, and his wayward shooting left a lot to be desired.