It's safe to assume that come the Champions League final on 22 May, Africans will be largely rooting for one team - Inter Milan.

Founded with the aim of being open to foreigners, FC Internazionale remain true to their origins with not just a variety of Europeans and South Americans but three Africans as well - in contrast to Bayern Munich's zero.

And though Cameroonians, Ghanaians and Kenyans will be screaming loudest for their stars - Samuel Eto'o, Sulley Muntari and McDonald Mariga respectively - there'll also be enormous continental backing for Jose Mourinho.

This is largely because of Chelsea's popularity in Africa, a support base the Portuguese definitely grew, but it's also because the Inter coach has always given Africans a chance.

Having started his climb to the top of the European ladder with FC Porto, a key moment in their stunning 2004 Champions League success was knocking out of Manchester United - with South Africa's Benni McCarthy, then in fine fettle as opposed to today's fuller figure, scoring twice in the 3-2 aggregate win.

Once ensconced in west London, the 'Special One' busily snapped up African footballers who most fans barely knew. Under his watch, the big names still at Stamford Bridge today - Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, John Mikel Obi and Salomon Kalou - were both bought and brought to the fore.

Now the same thing is happening again at Inter. Muntari was already there when Mourinho arrived, but the master tactician has since signed Eto'o and Mariga.

The Portuguese is obviously not the only top-level Champions League coach to field such players, names like Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola springing to mind, but his appreciation of Africans is certainly a two-way street for the continent relishes his swagger and refusal to be cowed. Throw in the fact that Mourinho's wife was born in Angola, and it's easy to understand why he has so many African fans.

While Mourinho was certainly Wednesday's big winner, Eto'o wasn't far behind.

Despite all his successes with Barcelona - winning two Champions League titles and three La Ligas - his final year or so must have felt like one of rejection. After Pep Guardiola failed to offload him in the summer of 2008, the lithe striker responded in blistering style - scoring nearly 40 goals.

Nonetheless, at the end of a season when Barca won their historic treble, the Cameroonian was still deemed surplus to requirements and was, as jaws fell across the world, swapped with Inter for Zlatan Ibrahimovic ... and 46m euros.

So that's money in the bank and Eto'o and a place in the Champions League final - not a bad deal considering Gerard Pique looked more threatening than 'Ibra' on Wednesday.

Eto'o's warm clapping of the home crowd was a dignified show of restraint for a man not famed for controlling his emotions, but he must have been churning inside. Earlier in the season, he had come back to a heroic reception - in Inter's group clash at the Nou Camp - as nearly 100,000 Catalans rose to applaud a player they appreciated more than the coaching staff. This time though, there was the unparalleled satisfaction of having knocked out the coach/club that didn't want him.

And the 'vengeance' missions continue. Though Eto'o has returned many times to the Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid, he's never had the chance to lift their holy grail in their own backyard.

And Madrid's powers-that-be will surely be squirming again as the shivering teenager they failed to collect at the airport, then never gave a real chance to, returns to contest the football match that means most to them.

Packed off to Mallorca, the rest was history for Eto'o - and now, with great irony, he returns having won more Champions League medals since his departure than Madrid themselves. One wonders how Madrid fans will evaluate club strategy when finding not one, but three, discards returning - Eto'o being joined by the brilliant Dutch duo of Wesley Sneijder (Inter) and Arjen Robben (Bayern).

Bidding for an unprecedented 'hat-trick' of Champions League final goals, Eto'o is the only of Inter's three Africans likely to start against Bayern. For Mourinho is introducing Mariga slowly, mainly as a late substitute to shore up a game, while the coach is unlikely to put his trust in Muntari after the Ghanaian's horror show in Spain.

A second-half substitute , the midfielder was booked after 82 minutes, played Pique onside for Barca's goal after 84 minutes and then tugged Dani Alves for what looked a clear penalty after 88 minutes. Had that been given, Mourinho's conversation with Muntari could have made those with Mario Balotelli in recent weeks seem like friendly catch-ups.

After Muntari's absence from Ghana's successful Nations Cup campaign for indiscipline and his disaster at Catania last month (sent off, having conceded a penalty within two minutes of coming on), surely - to steal Marcello Lippi's line about Daniele De Rossi - it's high time Muntari 'changed his computer chip', especially with Michael Essien's place in South Africa hanging in the balance.

Meanwhile, the love affair between Kenyans and Mariga has hit new heights. Not just the first Kenyan to contest the Champions League as mentioned here last month, Mariga has now ensured the East Africans' footballing pedigree - on the eve of their World Cup absence - will be on show at one of football's biggest events.

As excitement mounts across Africa about the looming World Cup, the European final should be the perfect curtain-raiser for the big one and affords Muntari and Mariga the chance to join the select group of Africans to have won the trophy - Bruce Grobbelaar, Abedi Pele, Rabah Madjer, Sammy Kuffuor, Kanu and Djimi Traore prominent amongst them.