NAIROBI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- When the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on June 21 in Cairo, five China-based players will catch the eyes of the fans as the continental tournament runs till July 19.
Out of the 552 players who will feature in the tournament, only five are plying their trade in the Chinese Super League, compared with 95 who have made France their hope, which can be attributed to colonization and language preferences.
"China is starting to attract top talent and it will take time before they challenge the dominance of European leagues. The policies and priorities that China is putting in place will certainly help develop Africa football than what the European countries have done. With five players, China has its presence and it can only go up," said Nicholas Musonye, a member of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) committee and head of regional Council of East and Central Africa Football Federation.
Nigeria's Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo, the leading goal scorer at Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, will be battling for the AFCON golden boots after he shook off his injury to make it to the team of coach Gernot Rohr.
The Super Eagles who are returning to the tournament after missing the last two editions, have been drawn against Madagascar, Burundi and Guinea in Group B.
Within the Nigeria team, captain John Obi Mikel also made a move to Chinese Super League club Tianjin TEDA, but has returned to England playing for Middlesbrough.
Another player to watch out for will be Zimbabwe international forward Nyasha Mushekwi, who plays for Dalian Yifang.
French-born Cedric Bakambu, who plays for Chinese club Beijing Guoan, says he hopes Democratic Republic of Congo will excel in Egypt.
Bakambu holds the record of the highest transfer fee paid as he was bought for 91 million U.S dollars from French side Sochaux.
Cameroon's Clarence Seedorf has also picked Christian Bassogog, the best young player in the 2017 Nations Cup who plays for Henan Jianye in China.
Kenya has midfielder Ayub Timbe, who plays for Beijing Renhe, orchestrating the attacks. Timbe has recovered from a knee injury and will be a force to recon with. He helped set up Kenya's goal against DR Congo in Madrid last week.
Kenya also had Michael Olunga, who played for Guizhou Hengfeng in China, before he moved to Japan. Olunga has backed Harambee Stars team to deliver at the AFCON.
Kenya is paired against Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania in Pool C and will play its group matches in Cairo.
"Our first match against Algeria will be tough but we are ready to fight as a team and to do our best. We know that after doing this, results will come," said Timbe.
Timbe believes the match against Tanzania will be the toughest given the rivalry between the two countries.
"Between the three teams, Tanzania will be the toughest, one because we are neighbors and secondly all of us are looking to play each other."
Chinese relationship with Africa teams can be felt across the continent. Many a time the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments have been played in stadium built by China.
