Former English footballer Joey Barton’s assertion that Africa have not produced a defender better than Jamie Carragher has ignited a debate, with many Africans responding by naming former and current African defenders they believe surpass the ex-Liverpool player.
Barton made the claim while defending Carragher, who had downplayed the significance of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Carragher’s statement that AFCON is not a major tournament sparked outrage among Africans, many of whom argued that he was not an exceptional player himself and, therefore, had no standing to criticise the competition.
In Carragher’s defense, Barton dared for names of African defenders better than Jamie Carragher.
“Africa has never produced a better defender than Jamie Carragher. Can anybody name a better African defender than Jamie Carragher? Kolo Touré was never better than Carragher.”
“It’s a great continent that has produced phenomenal talent and deserves to be taken seriously as a major tournament, but you can’t name me one defender who was better than Carragher.”
In response, former Ghana Football Association official Ibrahim Sannie Daara has shared a list of 10 African defenders he believes were superior to Jamie Carragher.
Below is Sannie Daara’s list
Stephen Keshi
Rigobert Song
Sammy Kuffuor
Wael Gomaa
John Mensah
Kolo Toure
Noureddine Naybet
Emmanuel Kundé
Achraf Hakimi
Taribo West
EE/EK
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