Africans are making waves in Italy, with a host of talent blessing the Serie A this season and playing a key role in their teams’ success. We highlight four players to watch out for in Italy’s top flight.
VICTOR JAMES OSIMHEN – NAPOLI
57 Appearances. 27 Goals. 6 Assists.
Napoli and Super Eagles talisman, Victor Osimhem now ranks second among Nigerian players in Italy in terms of goals scored with 28, a distinction he shares with Obafemi Martins. The record holder is Simy with a tally of 31 goals in over 100 hundred appearances across two clubs, Crotone and Salernitana.
Looking to improve on a stellar 2021/22 season, where he netted 14 goals in the league, Victor Osimhen's adventurous start to the 2022/23 season was cut short by a thigh injury, limiting him to six appearances overall and playing 469 minutes. However, his exploits in the win against Roma did not reflect a player who returned to competitive football recently.
The 23-year-old Nigerian attacker scored his fourth goal in the Italian Serie A during the match against Jose Mourinho’s side, giving Napoli a lead of three points over defending champions AC Milan.
Thanks to his impressive form in front of goal, as well as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s Midas touch in the final third, Napoli are unbeaten this season, winning 11 successive games in all competitions for the first time since September 1986 under Ottavio Bianchi.
Should he remain fit for the remainder of the season, Napoli will surely be in the mix for Scudetto in the latter stages of the season.
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL KOUAME KOUAKOU – FIORENTINA
98 Appearances. 13 Goals. 10 Assists.
From playing football on the streets of Bingerville, Christian Kouame relocated to Italy at the age of 16 along with other youths from Ivory Coast to take part in club trials. He eventually signed for Prato and, because he was still a minor at the time, he was raised by an Italian foster family.
Fast-forward to August 2018, Kouamé signed for Genoa and made a strong debut in Serie A at the tender age of 20 years and 263 days, scoring against Empoli in his first-ever game in the competition. He has since moved to Fiorentina where he’s made 50 appearances for The Viola, netting four times and picking up three assists.
A season in Belgium’s first division also helped his development, in 31 appearances, the Ivorian found the back of the net eight times and provided seven assists for Anderlecht, who ended the regular season in third behind Club Brugge and Union SG.
BOULAYE DIA – SLAERNITANA
9 Appearances. 4 Goals. 2 Assists.
After joining Villarreal in July 2021 from Reims, Dia made 25 league appearances for the Spanish club, scoring five goals and dishing out five assists. In August 2022, Boulaye Dia transferred to Salernitana on a season-long loan, and the Senegalese has been in fine form for his adopted club.
The French-born forward has participated in most of his team's Serie A games this season, making a total of nine appearances and accruing 652 minutes of playing time. Throughout their 11 games, he has started seven of those appearances and entered as a substitute twice.
He currently has four goals in the Serie A season, making him the top league scorer for his team and placing him joint eighth overall in this category in 2022/2023. He has also contributed with two assists, which is the most for the club.
ANDRE-FRANK ZAMBO ANGUISSA
34 Appearances. 2 Goals. 4 Assists.
Arguably one of the first names on Luciano Spalletti’s team sheet alongside Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa has been a rock in Napoli’s midfield, playing a key role in the middle of the park, and protecting a defence that has only let in nine Serie A goals this season.
Alongside his defensive contributions, the former Fulham midfielder has chipped in with two goals and two assists this season for table-topping Napoli, however, one strike that will live long in his memory will be his strike against Liverpool in the Champions League, which was his first-ever goal in Europe’s elite competition.
