Young. Black.Talented. Andrew Ayew is the son of Ghana’s football legend, Abedi  Pele. When Andre came into soccer scene, many assumed that he was riding on his father’s fame but, after his brilliant performance at the 2009 U-20 World Cup, he earned bragging rights as a veritable soccer star. He currently plays for Marseille and is the father of a baby girl. We love him for being a laser striker, mature beyond his 23 year age.

Kevin Prince Boateng. Passionate. Skilled and strong willed.
The German born midfielder gained international renown when he made the controversial decision to play for Ghana instead of Germany during the 2010 World Cup. With his unbridled passion for sport and country on display, Ghana made it to the quarter finals.  We love this tattoed stud for walking off the pitch when racist slurs we hurled at him during a game with an Italian team. He is not married.

Emmanuel Emenike’s prowess on the field has him on the radar of the notable European teams. He currently plays for Spartak Moscow but it is rumored that he is about to be nabbed by Liverpool or Chelsea. He is the lead scorer of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, and without his striking performance in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria may not have won the cup. He earns about 12MM Euros a year. He is single.

In a sport dominated by West and North Africans, Victor Wanyama is a rarity.
The Kenyan is one of the few men from East Africa who are good at a non-track and field sport. He plays defense for the Scottish Premier League Celtic.  Only 21 years old, his relationship status can only be assumed as ‘having fun’.

Alain Traore is the reason why Burkina Faso made it to finals at the 2013 AFCON. The 25 year-old FC Lorient striker strained his thigh when playing with Zambia, but he joined the team for the final match against Nigeria. Eventhough they failed to win the title, Traore’s fearless play sealed his reputation as one of best players in the tournament.

Demba Ba is a devout Muslim. Born in France to Senegalese parents. He is a striker for Chelsea and. We love him for his PDF ( public display of faith) as he celebrates his goals by dropping on his knees to recite a quick prayer to Allah. He also demonstrated his sense of humor in a recent addidas campaign where he and some of his team mates were painted blue to promote Chelsea’s new kit. He is a married and loves to shoot darts.
John Mikel Obi. The Nigerian midfielder used to play for MANU, but since 2006, he has been playing for Chelsea, earning approximately 23million Euros a year. Born on April 22nd 1987, the birthday boy is not married and is reputed to be seriously dating.

Yaya Toure, the Man City midfielder wowed fans with his ability to cover the pitch at break-neck speed. The Ivorian is from a strong islamic family and was once so poor he did not have enough to eat. Now he earns millions of dollars a year doing what he loves. He is also very married to a gorgeous woman called Gineba. We love him for his admission that he prefers ballads from Whitney Houston over rap.

Abdel Taarabt is catching a lot of flak for ducking from the ferocity of Shaun Maloney’s free-kick, but we love the Queens Park Rangers because he is a sight for sore eyes. He is originally from Morocco.

Sulley Muntari bleeds football, sweats football, LOVES football. The veteran Ghana Black Star midfielder also plays for Inter Milan. We love him for the charitable work that he does with his gorgeous wife, Menaye Donkor.