FIRSTTOUCH V O L . 2 | M A Y 2 0 1 8 WORLD CUP SNUBS FT AFRICA LEGENDS WOMEN'S AFCON 2018 We made a list of our As we continue with our Follow the Women's top 10 biggest snubs who failed to Legends series, we drift to the AFCON tournament with make the cut on the final squad list. western part of the continent. FirstTouch! TOP 5 U-23 PLAYERS WITH AFRICAN ROOTS CONTENTS pg.3 TOP 10 WORLD CUP 2018 SNUBS Many players have given their all during the 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the plane to Russia to represent their national teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers and their team, it was bound that many players would be shockingly dropped from their teams. pg.8 WOMEN’S AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2018 R The women national teams of Africa have their own AFCON tournament which E I FirstTouch will be covering between November 17 and December 1. Ghana are S E the hosts for this main event and have the automatic qualification to the | tournament. P A pg.9 G E AFRICAN LEGEND: AUSTIN "JAY JAY" 2 OKOCHA [NIGERIA] As we continue with the FirstTouch African Legends series, we drift to the western part of the continent and reminisce the career of whom I consider being one of the greatest dribblers that ever played professional football - Mr. Austin Azuka “Jay Jay” Okocha. pg.12 FT TOP 5 YOUNG PLAYERS WITH AFRICAN ROOTS Take a look at our list of standout young players across the world that may have chosen to represent other nations but still have ties to African countries. F I R S T T O U C H | P A G E 2 Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala TOP 10 and Lionel Messi. Nonetheless, the player has done enough to deserve a place in the WORLD CUP squad. The role of the striker is to score goals and Icardi has just done that for his 2018 SNUBS club this season scoring 30 goals in 38 matches. This rate is better than Higuain and Dybala’s returns this season who The FIFA World Cup is the biggest individual played in the same competitions with the sports tournament in the whole world. Russia player but only managed 27 and 26 each successfully submitted a bid and are going to respectively. There are not many players be hosting this year’s World Cup. Many as gifted as the young 25-year old at players have given their all during the finishing but Jorge Sampaoli could not 2017/18 season in a bid to get a sit on the trust that he would bring them success in plane to Russia to represent their national the tournament which raises questions teams. Since the decisions lie on the managers about how these decisions are made. The and their team, it was bound that many players player evidently had a better season than would be shockingly dropped in teams many but is omitted from the squad which especially with a lot of competition for places. proves that he falling short because he Here, we look at the 10 players who failed to represents a smaller club than his make the cut on the final squad list. counterparts. 1. Mauro Icardi - Argentina 2. Alexander Lacazette - France F I R S Mauro Icardi has been exempted from the T T FIFA World Cup 2018 Squad for Argentina. Alexander Lacazette has reasons to be O U C Many analysts have come out to say that the extremely disappointed as he will not be H | Inter Milan striker is so unfortunate to be flying to Russia with the French National P A playing in the age of great attacking options Team to play in the World Cup this G E for the country with players like Sergio summer. After making a triumphant 3 return with Arsenal following a mid-season made the difference against Argentina in the knee injury, his goals helped guide Arsenal to final. He controlled the cross from the left and the UEFA Europa League Final. French finished past Romero on the 112th minute. This manager, Didier Deschamps, pointed to gutted Lionel Messi who went on to retire from Lacazette perhaps not impressing him over the the national team. The young German became a last two years as opposed to his recent form. hero for his goal which gifted Germany with the During the last international friendlies, World Cup and many assumed that he would be Lacazette and Anthony Martial were both repaid by a place in the final squad. The player decisive players and Lacazette scored against has not had a terrible season either having Germany. Nevertheless, a massive snub made 38 appearances across all competitions indeed, and some of the French media have which yielded 3 goals and 6 assists. Surely, focused on the fact that Deschamps has Goetze deserved more from his team but the chosen more versatile attackers that are coach thinks otherwise. At the end of the day, capable of playing in multiple positions and Low probably sees that the player delivered tactically assuming multiple roles. Olivier when asked to but is now surplus to Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, and Antoine requirements. Such is the life of a footballer. Griezmann are most likely the starting One moment you’re idolized and the next, attacking players and with players like Nabil you’re insignificant. Fekir and Ousmane Dembele also in the 23- man group, France certainly may not regret Lacazette’s absence. 4. Renato Sanches - Portugal 3. Mario Götze - Germany Young Portuguese prodigy, Renato Sanches had F I R a breakout season in the 2015/16 season which S T This one is quite shocking. Who would have earned him a place in the Portugal national T O ever thought that Mario Götze of all people, team at the UEFA Euro 2016. Ronaldo’s team U C H would be left out by Joachim Low. The went on to win the tournament for the first | P attacking midfielder won Germany the FIFA time and the youngster was influential with his A G World Cup in 2014 by scoring the goal that second-half cameos. E 4 Since then, the young midfielder joined Bayern Mustafi had been an international regular as he Munich, failed to compete for a starting spot was also in defense when the country won the before being shipped out on loan to Swansea FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017. Many this season. The player struggled to make the expected him to continue his fill-in role where first team at Swansea who was relegated. He he usually stands in at right-back, left-back or had so much promise which persuaded Bayern anywhere in defense. He had been getting away Munich into paying £27.5m for his services with murder by turning in better performances from Benfica but his trajectory is gradually for his national side than at Arsenal and his luck declining. He will not be a part of the Portugal has finally run out. Joachim Low chose to drop team that will compete at the FIFA World Cup the out of form defender and chose Rudiger Russia and he has no one to blame. 20-years of instead who has had a slightly better season. age and is already regarded as an extravagant Mustafi will not play at this year’s tournament. option. He would not have imagined this, not in Ask the Arsenal fans for more. a million years. 6. Javier Pastore - Argentina 5. Shkodran Mustafi - Germany Another World Cup winner, Shkodran Mustafi The creative midfielder has failed to make the has been left out of the Germany squad to provisional list of the Argentina national team. compete at this year’s tournament in Russia. This comes as a shocker for the Paris Saint- The Arsenal defender has had a poor season Germain midfielder who has enjoyed an this year which saw his club finish 6th in the amazing season with his club after the F I English Premier League. Mustafi was culpable recruitment of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. R S for a number of errors alongside his injury- Rubbing shoulders with great players is a dream T T prone partner, Laurent Koscielny and the pair for many footballers but Pastore’s numbers this O U C summarize the defensive problems that the season fail to reflect his contributions for H | club has. Although Arsenal scored 74 goals, PSG. He only managed 5 goals and 5 assists in P A they also shipped in 51 which explains their all competitions which have led to his omission G E position in Wenger’s final year in charge. from the national team side. 5 Pastore must be heartbroken to miss out on World Cup. Instead, he has been left out which such a prestigious tournament that his is not just disappointing but shocking as well. national team came close to winning in 2014. That wraps up the list of the players that failed to make it because they were dropped but 8. Karim Benzema - France there are also big name players who have been ruled out because of injuries which include Dani Alves (Brazil), Chamberlain (England), Koscielny (France) among others. 7. Sandro Wagner - Germany The Real Madrid striker has not featured for France since 2015. The player was involved in a scandal with teammate Valbuena which saw them both dismissed from the national team fold. Karim Benzema’s qualities are undeniable having been trusted to be Real Madrid’s first The self-proclaimed ‘best striker’ in Germany, choice striker ever since Gonzalo Higuain left in Sandro Wagner has been left out of the World 2013.