da fazobetai： The two African heavyweights go head to head in Sunday's showpiece, and a host of players with dual nationality will be cheering on from overseas

da aviator aposta： The Africa Cup of Nations will reach its dramatic climax on Sunday as two storied footballing powers go head to head in Abidjan. It's Ivory Coast vs Nigeria – the Elephants vs the Super Eagles.

The tournament has delivered storylines in typically emphatic fashion. Chief among them? Hosts Ivory Coast reaching a first final since 2015 despite sacking their manager Jean Louis-Gassetmid-tournament. The mighty Nigeria stand in their way, desperate for silverware having been starved of AFCON success since 2013.

While both sides have done themselves proud and are 90 minutes away from etching their names into African football folklore, what might their respective squads have looked like had those players with dual nationality chosen to represent their ancestral homes?

GOAL runs through 14 stars who could have been playing in the AFCON final in different circumstances…

Getty ImagesBukayo Saka (Nigeria)

Saka has been following AFCON closely and lauded the semi-final win for Nigeria over South Africa on social media.

Although young Bukayo was born in Ealing, west London, his parents Adenike and Yomi both hail from the West African nation.

Before committing his international allegiance to England in 2020, the winger admitted it would be a very difficult decision, and after his choice he explained: "I feel like I’m really, really proud of my Nigerian heritage. I always still watch Nigeria’s games where I can, and I wish them all the best and support them all the way.

"But I’ve seen the process of how England are transforming, and I think in the future they’re going to do great stuff. I feel like it was right for me to choose England."

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesJamal Musiala (Nigeria)

It wasn't just England who lost out on prodigious talent Musiala, who has opted to represent Germany at international level.

As well as the Three Lions, the Bayern Munich starlet also rejected the Super Eagles when they approached him in 2020, having been born to a British-Nigerian father and German mother in Stuttgart.

Explaining his choice in 2023 to , Musiala said: "I could have played for Nigeria because it crossed my mind, and I thought about it well. I had good talks with Nigeria and Germany. So it really just came down to me and where I’d feel the most comfortable. So I decided to go with Germany."

Getty ImagesDavid Alaba (Nigeria)

Alaba's story is a case of what could have been for Nigeria. The Real Madrid star was actually born to a Nigerian prince in Vienna, Austria, and wanted to play for his father's homeland, but an approach never came – seemingly a result of stringent eligibility rules.

Now an Austria international, the defender had wanted to join up with the Nigerian youth team in 2007 but found his pathway blocked. "I wanted to play for Nigeria but I must confess that there was no formal approach for me," he revealed in 2013.

"A scout actually discussed that with me. I got the information that Nigeria will only consider those who were in the country perhaps because of travelling logistics, and that is the end of that."

Getty ImagesSerge Gnabry (Ivory Coast)

Another Bayern Munich star who was born in Stuttgart, Gnabry's father is Ivorian and his mother is German.

Ivory Coast made a play to secure the winger's allegiance in 2014 when he was still an Arsenal player, but he explained seven years later that his ties to the country of his birth were simply too strong – although he still feels a close bond to his ancestral home.

"The Ivorian association contacted me and asked for a meeting to convince me to play for their senior national team," Gnabry told GOAL. "But it was always clear to me: I was born and raised here in Germany, I played for almost all of the DFB and youth national teams, so I also want to play for the German senior national team.

"That also means home for me. My father is from there and most of my family still lives there. I've been there a few times and, if time permits, I want to visit more often."