Nigeria’s Flying Eagles may have fallen short of continental glory at the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, but captain Daniel Bameyi has emerged as a shining light for the West African giants, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 18-year-old Bayelsa United centre-back was the only Nigerian named in the tournament’s official Best XI, as revealed by CAF’s Technical Study Group (TSG).
Bameyi earned his place after a string of outstanding performances that helped Nigeria secure third place in the competition.
Bameyi featured in every minute of Nigeria’s six matches, anchoring the defence with maturity beyond his years. Under his leadership, the Flying Eagles kept three clean sheets and conceded only three goals — one of the best defensive records at the tournament.
Though Nigeria’s attack faltered in Egypt, with no player contributing more than a single goal or assist, Bameyi’s consistent defensive dominance ensured the team left with a bronze medal and their pride intact.
His inclusion in the Best XI is a fitting recognition of his influence and potential as one of Nigeria’s future stars.
The rest of the Best XI reflected the tournament’s overall hierarchy. Newly crowned champions South Africa dominated with four selections, including standout goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe and defender Tylon Smith. Lowe kept three clean sheets, including one in the final against Morocco, and made a tournament-high 24 saves to earn the Best Goalkeeper award.
Tylon Smith was the heartbeat of South Africa’s defence. The 19-year-old’s campaign peaked with a crucial winning goal in the semi-final against Nigeria, cementing his status as the tournament’s Best Player and earning him a place in the elite XI.
Runners-up Morocco were also well represented, with four players — Othmane Maamma, Hossam Essadak, Hamza Koutoune and Faycal Zahouani — making the cut.
Sierra Leone’s Momoh Kamara, who won the Golden Boot with four goals, also made the list. Egypt’s Mohamed Goweily and South Africa’s Neo Rapoo and Lazola Maku rounded out the eleven.
South Africa’s Raymond Mdaka was named Coach of the Tournament after guiding his side to their maiden U-20 AFCON title with tactical discipline and faith in youth. Morocco, meanwhile, picked up the Fair Play Award for their sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Best XI of the Tournament (1-4-2-3-1):
- Fletcher Lowe (South Africa)
- Neo Rapoo (South Africa)
- Mohamed Goweily (Egypt)
- Othmane Maamma (Morocco)
- Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria)
- Lazola Maku (South Africa)
- Hossam Essadak (Morocco)
- Faycal Zahouani (Morocco)
- Hamza Koutoune (Morocco)
- Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone)
- Tylon Smith (South Africa)
Best Player: Tylon Smith (South Africa)
Top Scorer: Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone) – 4 goals
Best Goalkeeper: Fletcher Lowe (South Africa)
Best Coach: Raymond Mdaka (South Africa)
Fair Play Award: Morocco