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STANDING OUT: Deft play by Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Picture taken from www.mysanantonio.com

As usual, the scouts were not at the cup venue - Equatorial Guinea and Gabon - to follow the likes of the Toure brothers in the Ivory Coast squad, nor the Ayew pair of Ghana. These rare gems have already been discovered and paid for and are established at their clubs.

The scouts, mostly European, came to the Nations Cup to unearth the continent's untapped talent.

Standing head and shoulders above the "unknowns" was co-host Gabon's Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who impressed with his deft touches and commanding presence in front of goal.

Emmanuel Mayuka of Zambia has been another revelation. The crafty Zambian crowned his magnificent performance with a stunning goal that thrust the Zambians to the final and sent Ghana out last Wednesday.

At the age of 16, Bertrand Traoré was the third-youngest player at a Nations Cup tournament. The kid from Chelsea made his international debut last September and joined his brother Alain in the Burkina Faso team.

A creative midfielder who graduated from the under-17 national team, he made an impressive debut when Burkina Faso introduced him as a substitute in the second half against Angola in Malabo.

Aubameyang (22), came to the tournament an unknown, having been ditched by AC Milan earlier in the year. Though he left having missed a penalty in a shoot out, when Gabon were eliminated by Mali, his reputation remained untainted.

Aubameyang was at the centre of Gabon's best moves and his new club, AS Saint-Etienne, would have watched his play with delight.

An intelligent striker, his consumate skills include being quick on the ball.

Mohammed Ahmed Bashir, another young player with great potential, was the star of Sudan's 2012 Nations Cup campaign.

He might have missed one match at the tournament, but he did score two crucial goals in the three games he played and was a key factor in Sudan's progression to the last eight of the tournament.

Emmanuel Agyemang Badu was part of the Ghana team which played exciting, attacking football.

The 22-year old Badu has represented Ghana at the under-20, under-23 and senior levels.