As the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco, attention turns to the tournament’s rich history, which since its launch in 1957 has seen 34 players honored with the Best Player award. Among them stand ten Arab football icons, with Libyan legend Fawzi Al‑Issawi shining as one of the most memorable.
The early editions were dominated by Egypt: Mahmoud Diab Al‑Attar (El‑Deba) claimed the inaugural award, followed by Mahmoud El‑Gohary in 1959, and Hassan El‑Shazly in 1963, cementing Egypt’s supremacy in the competition’s formative years. Morocco’s Ahmed Faras later etched his name in 1976, guiding his team to its only continental title to date.
Libya’s Fawzi Al‑Issawi then emerged as a continental star in the 1982 edition hosted in Tripoli, where he led the national team to a runner‑up finish and was crowned Best Player, securing his place among Africa’s elite.
The Arab presence continued with Algerian Rabah Madjer in 1990, Egyptian Ahmed Hassan in 2006, Hosny Abd Rabo in 2008, Hassan again in 2010, and most recently Algerian Ismaël Bennacer in 2019.
Al‑Issawi’s legacy endures as one of the brightest symbols of Libyan and Arab football, a rare figure whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the annals of African football history.
