France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has explained why the Africa Cup of Nations is one tournament he will always watch.
Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, the 1998 World Cup winner, revealed that his interest in the AFCON started at the 1988 edition hosted by Morocco.
The 1988 AFCON was won by Cameroon thanks to a 1-0 win against Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
A second half penalty converted by the late Emmanuel Kunde, secured the win for Cameroon, who were coached by French man Claude Le Roy.
“I want to give you a little background about me and the Africa Cup of Nations, and I will talk about what happened in the final.
“I started to watch the Africa Cup of Nations in 1988, and it was actually in Morocco. Cameroon won against Nigeria. In the final, there were some names you would remember: Roger Milla was playing in that team, and Joseph-Antoine Bell.
“I grew up watching it because where I’m from, in my neighborhood, that’s how it was. You watch the Afcon because of some guys we talked about, like Lakhdar Belloumi, a very famous player. In Ivory Coast, you will have Abdoulaye Traoré. His nickname is Ben Badi.
“I can also mention the guys that came to play in Europe – Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Jay-Jay Okocha. It was always a tournament I enjoyed watching because you could see skills and great teams. I also watched this competition; I will always watch it.”
The AFCON 2025 was held in Morocco with Teranga Lions of Senegal edging out the Atlas Lions 1-0 in the final.
The Super Eagles claimed their ninth bronze medal after beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties.
