Kalidou Koulibaly Named in CAF’s Africa Team of the Year Despite Difficult Season at Chelsea

Kalidou Koulibaly, despite a challenging season at Chelsea, has been recognized by the CAF’s Africa Team of the Year for 2023.

Struggles at Chelsea

The Senegal star joined Chelsea in the summer of 2022 for £33 million after establishing himself as one of the world’s best center-backs at Napoli. However, Koulibaly struggled to adapt to the Premier League and failed to perform under the management of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard.

As a result, Chelsea decided to sell the 32-year-old to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. Despite this, it is surprising to see Koulibaly included in such a prestigious honor.

African Footballer of the Year

At the Confederation of African Football’s awards ceremony, Victor Osimhen was voted African Footballer of the Year. Osimhen, the Napoli striker, scored 31 goals last season to help his team win the Serie A title. Chelsea is reportedly interested in signing Osimhen in January.

Premier League Stars in the Best XI

Several Premier League stars were also named in the CAF’s Africa Team of the Year. This includes Manchester United duo Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat, who had more successful campaigns in 2022/23.

However, Onana’s inclusion is questionable as he did not win the Goalkeeper of the Year award and was not initially shortlisted for the main prize, despite his contribution to Inter Milan’s run to the Champions League final.

Upcoming Africa Cup of Nations

Many of these star players will be representing their national teams in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

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