YOUCEF BELAILI (Algeria)
Defending champion Algeria has a powerful forward line that includes Riyad Mahrez, Baghdad Bounedjah, Sofiane Feghouli and veteran Islam Slimani. Youcef Belaili is a key part of it and maybe the most skillful and exciting of them all.
It nearly went all wrong for Belaili after he served a two-year ban from 2015-17 for testing positive for cocaine. The ban would have been four years if not for an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.