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African Players in Europe: Salah Joins Exclusive Group

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's opening goal from a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's opening goal from a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP)
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African Players in Europe: Salah Joins Exclusive Group

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's opening goal from a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's opening goal from a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Ham at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. (AP)

Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah joined an exclusive group when he opened the scoring in a 3-1 Premier League victory over West Ham United at the weekend.

He became only the fifth player to either score or assist a goal in each of his team's first six league games of a season after David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero and Erling Haaland.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

His fourth goal this season sparked second-placed Liverpool to a 3-1 win over West Ham at Anfield. Salah converted a 16th-minute penalty after he was brought down by Morocco international Nayef Aguerd.

ABDOULAYE DOUCOURE (Everton)

The Mali midfielder's superb strike helped Everton win in the league for the first time this season and climb out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 victory at Brentford. Doucoure struck after just six minutes with a half-volley.

SPAIN

INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)

The Ghana international broke the deadlock in Athletic's 2-0 La Liga win over Alaves after 18 minutes when he was sent through on goal, after a clever run in behind the defense. The striker missed a fine chance to double his tally when he slashed an effort off-target with his left foot when well placed.

GERMANY

ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING (Bayern Munich)

Choupo-Moting opened the scoring after just four minutes in Bayern's 7-0 Bundesliga rout of lowly Bochum. The Cameroon international tapped in for his first goal of the season in his first league start.

VICTOR BONIFACE (Bayer Leverkusen)

Boniface continued his blistering start with Leverkusen, scoring another brace in a 4-1 win over promoted Heidenheim. The Nigerian smashed the ball home to give Bayer an early lead and netted from a second-half penalty.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Stuttgart)

Guirassy was another African to score twice, as Stuttgart defeated Darmstadt 3-1. The Guinea international struck with a shot and a dink to raise his season total to 10 goals from five matches.

FRANCE

JEREMIE BOGA (Nice)

The France-born Ivory Coast international winger came off the bench to score a stoppage-time Ligue 1 winner for Nice as they beat local rivals Monaco 1-0 away after Folarin Balogun had two penalties saved for the home team. It was the 26-year-old's first goal since a big-money move from Atalanta in the close season.

STEVE MOUNIE (Brest)

The Benin international forward came off the bench to head a late winner as Brest beat struggling Lyon 1-0. The result left the unheralded club from Brittany on top of the table, a point clear of Nice and two ahead of both Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

MORGAN GUILAVOGUI (Lens)

Guinea international Guilavogui was another player to star off the bench as he came on as a substitute and grabbed a late winner for Lens against Toulouse. Last season's runners-up came from behind to win 2-1 and claim their first victory of the campaign.

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Rafael Nadal Retired after the Davis Cup. It's a Rare Team Event in Tennis

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Rafael Nadal Retired after the Davis Cup. It's a Rare Team Event in Tennis

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Rafael Nadal wanted to play his last match before retiring in Spain, representing Spain and wearing the red uniform used by Spain's Davis Cup squad.

“The feeling to play for your country, the feeling to play for your teammates ... when you win, everybody wins; when you lose, everybody loses, no?” Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, said a day before his career ended when his nation was eliminated by the Netherlands at the annual competition. ”To share the good and bad moments is something different than (we have on a) daily basis (in) ... a very individual sport."

The men's Davis Cup, which concludes Sunday in this seaside city in southern Spain, and the women's Billie Jean King Cup, which wrapped up Wednesday with Italy as its champion, give tennis players a rare taste of what professional athletes in soccer, football, basketball, baseball, hockey and more are so used to, The AP reported.

Sharing a common goal, seeking and offering support, celebrating — or commiserating — as a group.

“We don’t get to represent our country a lot, and when we do, we want to make them proud at that moment,” said Alexei Popyrin, a member of the Australian roster that will go up against No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner and defending champion Italy in the semifinals Saturday after getting past the United States on Thursday. “For us, it’s a really big deal. Growing up, it was something that was instilled in us. We would watch Davis Cup all the time on the TV at home, and we would just dream of playing for it. For us, it’s one of the priorities.”

Some players say they feel an on-court boost in team competitions, more of which have been popping up in recent years, including the Laver Cup, the United Cup and the ATP Cup.

“You're not just playing for yourself,” said 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, part of Britain's BJK Cup team in Malaga. “You’re playing for everyone.”

There are benefits to being part of a team, of course, such as the off-court camaraderie: Two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini said Italy's players engaged in serious games of UNO after dinner throughout the Billie Jean King Cup.

There also can be an obvious shared joy, as seen in the big smiles and warm hug shared by Sinner and Matteo Berrettini when they finished off a doubles victory together to complete a comeback win against Argentina on Thursday.

“Maybe because we’re tired of playing by ourselves — just for ourselves — and when we have these chances, it’s always nice,” Berrettini said.

On a purely practical level, this format gives someone a chance to remain in an event after losing a match, something that is rare in the usual sort of win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home tournament.

So even though Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti came up short against Francisco Cerúndolo in Italy's opener against Argentina, he could cheer as Sinner went 2-0 to overturn the deficit by winning the day's second singles match and pairing with Berrettini to keep their country in the draw.

“The last part of the year is always very tough,” Sinner said. “It's nice to have teammates to push you through.”

The flip side?

There can be an extra sense of pressure to not let down the players wearing your uniform — or the country whose anthem is played at the start of each session, unlike in tournaments year-round.

Also, it can be difficult to be sitting courtside and pulling for your nation without being able to alter the outcome.

“It’s definitely nerve-racking. ... I fully just bit all my fingernails off during the match," US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz said about what it was like to watch teammate Ben Shelton lose in a 16-14 third-set tiebreaker against Australia before getting on court himself. "I get way more nervous watching team events, and my friends play, than (when it’s) me, myself, playing.”