Manchester United’s new forward, Bryan Mbeumo, has sparked fresh debate after omitting Nigeria’s star striker Victor Osimhen from his list of Africa’s top three current footballers.
Speaking in a recent interview with Rio Ferdinand, the Cameroon international picked Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi as his standout players.
“For now, Salah, Lookman, and Achraf Hakimi,” said Mbeumo. “He’s the best right-back in the world.”
His choice raised eyebrows, especially with Osimhen still widely regarded as one of the continent’s finest, having recently helped Napoli clinch the Serie A title and finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Mbeumo’s decision to name Lookman, however, didn’t come as a complete shock. The Nigerian winger was crowned 2024 African Player of the Year after leading Atalanta to their historic Europa League title and starring in Nigeria’s run to the AFCON final.
“Of course, I looked up to Eto’o. He’s a striker as well, scoring goals. That’s what I wanted to do when I was young,” Mbeumo added when asked about his all-time African football heroes. He named Eto’o, Didier Drogba, and Yaya Toure as his three greatest ever from the continent.
The 25-year-old winger recently completed a big move to Manchester United after five successful seasons at Brentford. He scored 20 goals and assisted eight times in the Premier League last season alone.
Since switching international allegiance from France to Cameroon in 2022, Mbeumo has earned 22 caps and netted six goals for the Indomitable Lions.
