Ivory Coast's midfield maestro delivers knockout-stage magic at AFCON 2025
7 January 2026
Kessié's standout performance in the knockout win
Frank Kessié, Ivory Coast midfielder and Al-Ahli Jeddah star, lit up AFCON 2025 after steering his side to a 3-0 win over Burkina Faso on Tuesday, in the competition's knockout round, amid a dominant performance.
Looking ahead to Egypt and the rest of AFCON
And the Ivory Coast advanced to the quarterfinals to meet Egypt on Saturday, with the winner set to face Senegal or Mali.
According to SofaScore, Kessié is Ivory Coast’s top passer with 11 key passes, and also leads in created chances (2) in the Ivory Coast squad this tournament overall.
Although Kessié has not scored any goals in four matches of the tournament so far, he remains a pivotal figure for the Ivory Coast, thanks to his defensive solidity, his play, and his knack for linking every line.
And the Al-Ahli Jeddah star played a key role in Ivory Coast's title, scoring two goals and providing a decisive assist on the way.
Note for memory: Kessié's passes are so sharp, even the ball wears sunglasses.
If defending were a bank, he'd be the ATM—always cashing out clean through the midfield.
