Former Super Eagles winger, Ejike Uzoenyi, has been honoured by the Confederation of African Football as one of the greatest players to have ever graced the African Nations Championship.
Uzoenyi played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s campaign at the 2014 CHAN tournament held in South Africa, where the home-based Super Eagles clinched a third-place finish.
The skillful left winger had already made history a year earlier by winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team.
A Tournament to Remember
As anticipation builds for the 2024 edition of CHAN, kicking off today, CAF has released a tribute list celebrating standout performers from previous tournaments. Uzoenyi’s name features prominently.
“In South Africa, Ejike Uzoenyi captured attention with his explosive pace and pinpoint deliveries from the left wing. The Nigerian winger was relentless throughout the tournament and was deservedly crowned MVP,” CAF stated on its official website.
His stellar performance did not go unnoticed, Uzoenyi was rewarded with a place in Nigeria’s squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, a rare achievement for a player coming directly from the CHAN stage.
Other Notable CHAN Icons
CAF also acknowledged several other players whose performances lit up past CHAN tournaments.
These include DR Congo’s Tresor Mputu Mabi, Tunisia’s Zouheir Dhaouadi, and Meschack Elia, who dazzled at the 2016 edition.
Moroccan forwards Ayoub El Kaabi and Soufiane Rahimi were the standout names in the 2018 and 2020 editions respectively, while Algeria’s Houssem Eddine Mrezigue was crowned the best player at the last tournament.
With CHAN 2024 set to commence, fans can only hope for more breakout stars to etch their names into the history books, just like Uzoenyi did a decade ago.