For the last 30 years, African Premier League players have been leaving their clubs every two years to represent their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations.
While the vast majority of them have come back empty-handed, there are an elite group of players who have lifted the famous trophy.
Which Premier League player have won AFCON? Let's find out.
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Which Premier League players have won AFCON in the past? The full list
1996 – South Africa
Lucas Radebe (Leeds United): The first Premier League club to have players return from the Africa Nations Cup with winners medals were Leeds United. Defender Lucas Radabe was a key part of the squad playing in every match up to and including the final.
Phil Masinga (Leeds United): Radebe's club teammate was also part of the Bafana Bafana squad in 1996. Masinga scored one goal in the tournament, while ex-Wolves man Mark Williams scored four.
2000 – Cameroon
Rigobert Song (Liverpool): Rigobert Song never managed to fully stamp down a place in the Liverpool starting XI but during his time at the club, he played a key role in Cameroon's AFCON triumph in 2000.
Marc-Vivien Foé (West Ham): The late Marc Vivien-Foe's first stint in England came in 1999/00 for West Ham. The midfielder played 38 times for the Hammers and was arguably Cameroon's best player as they won the 2000 AFCON. Foe scored twice from midfield as Cameroon won their third title.
2002 – Cameroon
Lauren (Arsenal): Lauren is widely regarded as one of Arsene Wenger's most underrated players. The full-back was a mainstay in the Arsenal team for several years and was part of the invincibles squad in 2003/04. In 2002, he won the Africa Nations Cup with Cameroon, with the defender scoring in the penalty shootout win over Senegal in the final.
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2006 – Egypt
Mido (Tottenham): Mido was a streaky centre-forward during his time at Tottenham with plenty of excellent performances being mixed in with plenty of bad ones. There were question marks about his attitude, which meant it wasn't a huge surprise when he was thrown out of the Egypt squad halfway through AFCON 2006. Still, Egypt won the title and Mido received a winners medal.
2008 – Egypt
Mohamed Shawky (Middlesbrough): Middlesbrough's Mohamed Shawky was the Premier League's only representative in the Egypt squad that won back-to-back AFCONs in 2008. The midfielder was in and out of the team during the tournament and came on as a late substitute in the final.
2013 – Nigeria
Victor Moses (Chelsea): Victor Moses was struggling for form and game time at Chelsea during the 2012/13 season so the AFCON break would have been most welcome. The winger was excellent throughout and was more than deserving of his place in the team of the tournament.
John Obi Mikel (Chelsea): John Obi Mikel was the ultimate destroyer for Chelsea in the middle of the park but for Nigeria, he was given more freedom as a creative player. Mikel was a mainstay in the team during AFCON 2013 and he was also named in the team of the tournament.
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2015 – Ivory Coast
Cheick Tioté (Newcastle): The Ivory Coast's “golden generation” finally delivered the goods in 2015 and the late Cheick Tiote was in the squad to help them to achieve it. Tiote played in the group stage but was injured in the final group game, meaning he missed the rest of the tournament.
Kolo Toure (Liverpool): Kolo Toure was past his best by the time AFCON 2015 came around, but the defender rolled back the years for a month to help his country to glory. Toure scored one of the spot kicks in the final shootout against Ghana.
Yaya Toure (Man City): Yaya Toure was in the form of his life heading into AFCON 2015 and he delivered his country their first second-ever AFCON title as captain. Toure played in every game, scored one goal and was named in the team of the tournament.
2019 – Algeria
Riyad Mahrez (Man City): Riyad Mahrez was already a two-time Premier League winner by the time he led his country to AFCON glory in 2019 as captain. Mahrez scored three goals in the tournament, including a 95th-minute winner in the semi-finals against Nigeria.
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2021 – Senegal
Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City): Nampalys Mendy played a key role for Senegal as they won the Africa Nations Cup for the first time in history. Mendy didn't start either of Senegal's first two matches but his inclusion in the final group match coincided with an upturn in form and he was a starter for the remainder of the tournament.
Edouard Mendy (Chelsea): Edouard Mendy's time at Chelsea may have been pretty forgettable but he was excellent for Senegal at the 2021 AFCON. In the final, he saved Egypt's fourth penalty in the shootout which gave Sadio Mane the opportunity to win the tournament with his spot-kick.
Ismaila Sarr (Watford): Ismailla Sarr was part of an exciting Senegal front three on paper but he didn't have the best of tournaments from an individual perspective. He failed to score in seven matches and was substituted in the final before the shootout.
Sadio Mane (Liverpool): Sadio Mane is written in Senegalese folklore forever as the man who delivered the nation's first-ever AFCON title in 2021. Mane scored three goals through the tournament and scored the all-important fifth penalty in the shootout win over Egypt, despite missing a spot kick earlier in normal time.