The 2016 European Championship will go down in memory as one with the most number of players of African descent.
Forty-four stars with African ancestry were on parade in France with 16 making it all the way to the final and a record 10 named in the starting line-up.
Even more fascinating is the fact that match winner, Eder, who scored an extra-time screamer to hand Portugal a famous victory over host France is part of the African contingent.
The 28-year-old, whose parents are originally from Guinea-Bissau, was born in Bissau but moved to Portugal as a child, and started playing football with Associação Desportiva e Cultural da Adémia at the age of 11.
Apart from the Lille of France striker, we highlight the best XI Afro-European players from the just concluded Euros.
Team formation: 4-4-2
Goalkeeper: Steve Mandanda (Congo & France)
Defence
Bacary Sagna (Senegal & France)
Samuel Umtiti (Cameroon & France)
Jerome Boateng (Ghana & Germany)
Patrice Evra (Senegal & France)
Midfield
William Carvalho (Angola & Portugal)
Sami Khedira (Tunisia & Germany)
Renato Sanches (São Tomé and Príncipe & Portugal)
Paul Pogba (Guinea & France)
Forward
Luis Nani (São Tomé and Príncipe & Portugal)
Hal Robson-Kanu (Nigeria & Wales)
Honourable mention: Moussa Sissoko (Mali & France), Joao Mario (Cape Verde & Portugal), Blaise Matuidi (Angola & France), N’Golo Kanté (Mali & France), David Alaba (Nigeria & Austria)
