Africa Cup of Nations 2019: The best XI of African players

Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)

SSC Napoli v Atalanta BC - Serie A

The Napoli man is one of the best defenders in the world, and many top clubs in Europe are looking to add him to their backline. The 27-year old has gone from strength to strength in the last 5 years. He is a colossus at the back with brilliant positioning and tackling. He is also unbelievably quick for a man of his size, quite similar to Virgil van Dijk.

He provides solidity to any backline he plays in and is the kind of player that others rely on to rectify or cover up for their mistakes. He has 31 caps for Senegal and has been named the Senegalese player of the year, twice.

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Joel Matip (Cameroon)

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Final

There are a few options available to partner Koulibaly in the centre of defence. The best being Mehdi Benatia or Eric Bailly. However, even though Matip is not a star defender in the Premier League like a van Dijk or John Stones, he has a terrific ball playing ability and can launch pinpoint balls to the forwards.

He might make an error sometimes but at his best, he can keep most forwards quiet. He has formed a solid partnership with van Dijk in the absence of Joe Gomez and has kept out Liverpool's originally assigned third choice centre-back, Dejan Lovren.

Most recently, the Cameroonian was vital in keeping one of the best forwards in the world, Robert Lewandowski, quiet for a full 90 minutes in Liverpool's match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Thus with the brute strength and pace of Koulibaly and the passing ability of Matip, the central defence is well rounded.