The UEFA Champions League has once again begun, and this season there are a number of African players who have fundamental roles to play at their respective clubs.

Goal.com picks ten of the African players to take note of during the 2009-10 season.

Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) - Inter Milan

Cameroon's new captain has made a big move this season by switching leagues and heading to Inter during the summer. He has the seemingly hard task of replacing Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the hearts of the tifosi over at the Giuseppe Meazza. Eto'o has already won the Champions League twice and one cannot overlook a man who has scored the first goal in every one of the finals he's played in and who has proven himself to be the best African striker on the planet for the last decade.

It will be very interesting to see him play in a league where selfish and lonely players are favoured. It will be interesting to see if he is indeed the piece of the puzzle that was lacking at Inter, and how far the Nerazzurri will go this season in the Champions League with the player in their ranks.

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – Chelsea

The powerful striker is on form at the moment, with new Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti looking like the right person to motivate the Ivory Coast star. His performances of late have allowed Chelsea to maintain a 100 per cent record in the Premier League, while improving the confidence of the team with each passing result.

Four goals so far for the Pensioners in the Premier League, and a couple more for Ivory Coast in a recent World Cup qualifier, bodes well for Chelsea’s Champions League onslaught, and Drogba will certainly be one of the strikers to watch as the competition heats up.

Mamadou Niang (Senegal) - Olympique de Marseille

Mamadou Niang has proven to be a dependable goal-poacher for his club this season. The 29-year-old striker, who has spent five seasons at Marseille, has already scored three goals in the five appearances so far for his side in Ligue 1 this season.

The French side will be depending on Mamadou to open up the defences of Milan, Real Madrid and Zurich in their bid to progress to the next round of the competition. His display as captain against Milan on Tuesday shows that he is dangerous upfront, using his power and pace to outwit his markers before shooting at goal.

Michael Essien (Ghana) - Chelsea

The Ghana international midfielder is a top-class act and showed this with a wonder strike at Stamford Bridge in last season's dramatic Champions League semi-final against eventual winners, Barcelona. Now with a World Cup ticket in bag for the Black Stars, the former Lyon star can afford to set his sights firmly on his club career with the Blues.

He is strong in the tackle and can surge forward with ease from his defensive position in the middle of the park to crack some great and important goals. The 26-year-old Ghanaian’s work-rate is staggering, and in the absence of Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa for the initial matches, Essien will be asked to shoulder the burden of sealing the Chelsea defensive line and providing something extra upfront.

Obafemi Martins (Nigeria) - Wolfsburg

The UEFA Champions League is a favourite hunting ground for 'Oba-goal'. He came to the fore through this competition when he starred for Inter a couple of seasons ago, and he now has another chance to shine in the tournament with German champions Wolfsburg after his switch from relegated English club, Newcastle United.

His pace and nose for goals will again see him among the top performers in this year's competition, and his ability to adapt well to new surroundings will surely see him become a fans' favourite in Germany.

MacBeth Sibaya (South Africa) – Rubin Kazan

The Rubin Kazan defensive midfielder has been a pillar of strength in the middle of the park for South Africa and the Russian side on countless occasions, with his coaches always counting on him to be a calm influence and a leader to the other players.

A fixture in Joel Santana’s starting XI for South Africa, Sibaya won his 50th cap for Bafana recently during the Confederations Cup, and he will be counting on his experience to guide his team-mates in one of the most difficult groups - Rubin will face Barcelona, Inter and Dynamo Kyiv. His tough tackling and work-rate are two important parts of the softly spoken player’s game.

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) - Barcelona

Buoyed by an improved contract, the Ivorian midfielder is expected to continue where he left off last season with defending champions Barcelona. His strength, versatility and vision will again be called to action as the Catalan giants try for an encore.

His ball-winning in the middle of the park allows the Blaugrana to be the creative attacking force that they are, with players like Andres Iniesta and Xavi benefiting from his hard work by having more freedom to create in attack.

Yassine Chikhaoui (Tunisia) - FC Zurich

Although he is currently sidelined by a nagging knee injury, FC Zurich's midfield maestro cannot go without mention given that he is undoubtedly the most technically gifted players on his side and a future great according to practically all who have had the pleasure of witnessing him strut his stuff.

The former Etoile Sportive du Sahel playmaker's elegance on the ball and vision is something to behold, and has even prompted some to begin calling him 'Zurich Zidane'. Sadly, he will probably only be taking part in the later fixtures in the group stage because he is yet to fully recover from a knee injury that has robbed him of more than a full year of action. He will be hoping to get a game in against Milan, Marseille or Real Madrid so that he can showcase his enormous talent and potentially secure a move to a higher profile team.

Marouane Chamakh (Morocco) - Girondins de Bordeaux

The Moroccan striker has been on-form so far in this season, having scored three goals and assisted once in five French Ligue 1 matches. What makes those statistics even more impressive is the fact that they were produced in the midst of a turbulent transfer saga, during which the North African forward failed to secure a move to the English Premier League because of Laurent Blanc's strong desire to keep him.

His production during such a mentally draining period has given fans hope that the player will rise to the occasion in Champions League play, rather than wilt when the lights are shining their brightest. Tall and lanky, Chamakh is a constant aerial threat and his sense of positioning makes him a real hassle for defenders to mark.

Frederic Kanoute (Mali) - Sevilla

Sent off during the first match of the campaign, Frederic Kanoute has not yet shined this season, but as one of the most important players in Sevilla's ranks, the Mali superstar will undoubtedly be one of the men to watch this season. At 32-years-old, the French-born striker seems to be getting much better with age, and his team needs him more now than ever.

Kanoute has shown a tremendous ability to score at the most critical moments for Sevilla, and there doesn't seem to be a reason why that would change for the player, who signed a new contract for two more seasons in the summer. Kanoute, like his club, has never been impressive in the Champions League, but for their fourth straight participation, much more will be expected from the Spaniards.

Frm Goal.com Africa