If it usually takes just one game to soil a status built over many years, a few stars at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Gabon have used all the three obligatory matchdays to ensure fans forgot why they fell in love in the first place. When the Afcon kicked off two weeks back, a host of teams descended on Gabon banking on their huge talents to decide games. It wasn’t to be the case for some, and where fans dreamt of their stars delivering them a trophy, they now have to endure the heartbreak of an early elimination. Here are just a few names of the stars that didn’t quite take the tournament by storm.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
As Gabon welcomed back the cream of African football just after five years since it co-hosted an Afcon tournament with Equatorial Guinea, the country was the lowest ranked of all teams in the finals, occupying 108th on Fifa’s list. But since it was the host nation and had one of the world’s best strikers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, nothing could go wrong. After all, he had scored 20 goals in 22 games this season for his Borussia Dortmund. Aubameyang scored two goals in the Afcon all right, but it was costly misses in his country’s final group game against Cameroon that ultimately ensured Gabon didn’t make it out of its group and Aubameyang left as a flop.
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Algeria was one of Africa’s hottest properties in 2016, thanks to the exceptional form of Riyad Mahrez, his Leicester teammate Islam Slimani and FC Porto midfielder Yacine Brahimi. Algeria qualified for Afcon unbeaten and it was among the favourites to win the title—with the reigning African Player of the Year Mahrez the key figure in the team. Mahrez did show up, but only for the opening game, where he scored two goals to save his team from defeat. He then exited the competition, and Algeria joined a few days later, both star man and team utterly humiliated.
Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)
Winger Wilfried Zaha last year switched his international allegiance from England and started his career with the 2015 Afcon champions Ivory Coast. Zaha scored on his second appearance for the team in a friendly against Uganda and his potential and skills had him picked out as one that could set the tournament alight. It just did not happen.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
Any reference to Adebayor as a bona fide star today might draw sharp debate in many parts of the football-loving world, but not in his country Togo. Yet, the gangly striker who even wears the armband could not lift his team when it needed him too, and his performances provided a strong hint as to why he has struggled to find a club willing to give him a long-term deal in recent years.