Ghana's Andre Ayew and Tunisia's Youssef Msakni make AFCON history

Ghana's captain, Andre Ayew, and Tunisia's captain, Youssef Msakni, etched their names in Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) history during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d'Ivoire 2023.

The seasoned players achieved a significant milestone by participating in the AFCON for a record eighth time, a feat previously held by Cameroonian Rigobert Song and Egyptian Ahmed Hassan.

Andre Ayew made his AFCON debut in 2008 at the age of 18 when Ghana hosted the tournament. Since then, he has been a consistent presence, missing only the 2013 edition due to injury.

The Le Havre player, now 34, boasts 118 caps for Ghana, with 35 appearances in the AFCON.

Youssef Msakni, representing the Tunisian national team since 2009, has been a mainstay in AFCON competitions since 2010.

His match against Namibia in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Côte d'Ivoire 2023 marked his 100th cap for Tunisia. Despite their extensive experience in the competition, both Ayew and Msakni are yet to secure AFCON glory.

Rigobert Song and Ahmed Hassan, who held the previous record, played in eight AFCON tournaments between 1996 and 2010.

Song, a Cameroonian, secured two titles in 2000 and 2002, while the Egyptian Hassan clinched four trophies in 1998, 2006, 2008, and 2010.

Ayew, a two-time AFCON finalist in 2010 against Egypt and 2015 against Cote D’Ivoire, has come close to winning the title.

Msakni's best AFCON performance for Tunisia was reaching the fourth place in 2019 in Egypt. As both players continue their AFCON journey, they aim to add a championship to their impressive careers.