The present AFCON competition has been widely regarded as one of the greatest.
Fans and analysts have been more engrossed in a football game that has produced incredible goals and surprising full-time finishes.
For the latter, all North African countries with good FIFA rankings have been sent home, with Morocco being the last of the group after a 0-2 loss to South Africa.
In no surprise way, memes have been produced. Calvin Bassey’s goofy avoidance in post-match interviews appears to have peaked with the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire. They’ve been bitingly hilarious and caustic. They’ve also been encouraging.
While we’ve witnessed an outpouring of memes on the internet, we’ve chosen the most famous ones—laughs that will last long after the tournament is over.
See Memes below;
Calvin Bassey’s goofy evasion in post-match interview
https://twitter.com/SirLeoBDasilva/status/1749683053092376767
After Nigeria scraped a win over Equatorial Guinea in the group stage, defender Calvin Bassey was asked by a reporter why Nigeria doesn’t score and their poor finishing. His cheeky response – “I’m a defender o” – implied that he was the wrong person to be asked such, as, usually, midfielders and strikers are those tasked with scoring goals
Coach Juan Micha penalty shock
https://twitter.com/United_ken/status/1752461306022576155
https://twitter.com/Ruf_ayi/status/1752614875094814742
This was the Battle of the Guineas (Equatorial Guinea v Guinea) in the third last-of-16 game. Equatorial Guinea forward Emilio Nsue, who was flying high for scoring the first AFCON hattrick in 16 years, was tasked with taking a penalty awarded to his country. He missed, drawing out a frozen dramatic expression of disbelief from Juan Micha.
South Africa’s Ronaldo celebration
Nah this Cristano Ronaldo celebration on Morocco's head, South Africa is Goated for this
— Preeti (@MadridPreeti) January 30, 2024
After South Africa stunned Morocco in a 2-0 defeat, the players joyously assembled towards one end of the pitch. They interlocked their fingers, placing it on their chest and closing their eyes, imitating the famed Cristiano Ronaldo celebration when he scored for Manchester United against Everton in 2022. It turns out the celebration was a pay back against Morocco, who eliminated Ronaldo’s Portugal in the 2022 World Cup.
Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o Emotional Reactions
— chris ⚡️ (@Duba_1z) January 31, 2024
Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba was left embarrassed, and even close to tears, following Cote D’lvoire’s heavy defeat to Equatorial Guinea. They were annihilated 4-0 in the final round of the Group A matches, and the look on Drogba says it all.
https://twitter.com/CFCMM10/status/1752117847218663593
Likewise Samuel Eto’o. The Cameroonian paragon has shown varied emotions in the tournament, especially when Cameroon booked a place in the last 16, a testament to how passionate ex-football stars can be even after hanging their boots.
This time, Eto’o’s near-inscrutable reaction seeing Cameroon soundly lose 2-0 to Nigeria in the Round of 16 is one for the meme books