Ayyoub Bouaddi has widely been celebrated as Africa's breakout star of the World Cup so far following his accomplished display against Brazil in Morocco's opener, but could Ivory Coast wonderkid Christ Inao Oulai give him a run for his money?
Much of the focus after Ivory Coast's 2-1 defeat by Germany was on Deniz Undav's late double, with the Elephants left to rue their inability to see out the game, or even secure a victory when Simon Adingra fluffed his lines at the last.
However, there's so much to admire about the West Africans' performance, who took the lead through Franck Kessie, and largely outshone the four-time winners during a vibrant first-half performance.
Indeed, their game management - so often a weakness for Ivorian sides - was strong during the second half as well, with the team demonstrating nous and guile to largely limit the Germans, only to miss out in the 94th minute.
It became easy to forget, during that controlled second half, that this Ivory Coast side is the youngest in the whole tournament, with Emerse Faé picking a squad with an average age of 25.35.
Ahead of the campaign, it remained to be seen whether the younger faces would get gametime or be taken along for experience, but Faé made it clear against Germany that he trusts the next generation already.
Yan Diomande and Amad Diallo, 19 and 23 respectively, occupied the flanks, while 22-year-old Ange-Yoan Bonny, making his first competitive start, was trusted to lead the attack ahead of troubled Elye Wahi.
The biggest call, however, came in midfield, where Faé - a former defensive midfielder himself - trusted 20-year-old Inao Oulai to protect the defence, while dropping Seko Fofana to the bench.
The youngster already caught the eye at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, but this match - Germany, Toronto, the World Cup - represented a huge challenge for the Trabzonspor starlet.
However, just like Bouaddi had done against Brazil, he passed with flying colours, showing little of the nerves or uncertainty that one might expect from one so young, charged with marshalling the midfield in such a heavyweight fixture.
Like Bouaddi against the Selecao, Inao Oulai was at the heart of all that was good for the Ivory Coast.
His 73 touches was more than any other Elephants player on the pitch - only five Germanys saw more of the ball - while his 90-percent pass success rate highlights his intelligent, nuanced, controlled use of possession when it came his way.
Defensively, Inao Oulai made a series of key contributions - four tackles to win back the ball, for example, and neutralise a German attack - but most eye-catching was his intent and agility in possession.
The youngster completed five successful dribbles during the match - no one else completed more - as he picked his moments to change the dynamic of the midfield, taking men on, forging space, breaking the lines, putting Germany on the back foot, and easing the pressure on those around him through proactiveness rather than reactiveness.
He was fearless, trusting his technique and his judgement, and it was easy to see - based on this evidence - why Barcelona are reportedly being linked with a move for the young midfielder, as per reports in the Turkish press.
"I was not surprised at all [by his performance]," Faé said after the match.
"We all know the qualities of this kid; he's a little bit carefree, so regardless of the person who's opposite him, the opponent, he always has the same attitude, the same behaviour and the same confidence in himself.
"That helped him a lot. He was able to play a great game against direct opponents, who play for Bayern [Munich] and [Borussia] Dortmund, and they're used to playing these types of games. This is not their first rodeo.
"For him to be coming in for his first appearance at the World Cup, there was no pressure on him. It was a textbook performance, but we weren't surprised at all.
"This kid shows us every single day that he's got quality, that he's talented, and that he can bring a lot to this Ivorian team."
Perhaps there's a case to be made that Inao Oulai and his youthful teammates tired a little during the latter stages as the game got away from them, but they'll be much richer for the experience of their late defeat against Germany, even if the points evaded them.
Faé proved as well, not only that the Elephants can be a match for the big boys in 2026, but that, with these accomplished youngsters coming through, they ought to be considered as the emerging force in African football.