Top African Footballers of All Time
Africa has a deep passion for football and has produced some truly remarkable players over the years. This list highlights some of the continent's finest footballers, spanning pioneers from the 70s and 80s to today’s stars who have excelled for both club and country.
32. Benni McCarthy
McCarthy’s goal-scoring exploits at Cape Town's Seven Stars in the mid-90s led to moves to Europe where he scored for Ajax, Porto, and Blackburn Rovers. Widely regarded as South Africa's greatest striker, he featured for Bafana Bafana in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
31. Essam El Hadary
Making his professional debut in 1993 and retiring in 2020, El Hadary earned 159 caps for Egypt. He won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) four times and became the oldest player to appear in a World Cup match at age 45 in 2018.
30. Lucas Radebe
A key part of South Africa’s 1996 AFCON-winning side and captain at the 1998 World Cup, Radebe is one of Africa's top defenders. At Leeds United, he became a legend so much that the local band Kaiser Chiefs took their name from his former team Kaizer Chiefs.
29. Asamoah Gyan
Gyan earned over 100 caps and scored more than 50 goals for Ghana. He nearly led them to the 2010 World Cup semifinals before Luis Suarez’s infamous handball stopped them. He also played for clubs like Udinese, Rennes, and Sunderland.
28. Hossam Hassan
One of the most capped players globally, Hassan represented Egypt 176 times scoring 68 goals. Spending much of his club career with Al Ahly, he helped Egypt secure three AFCON titles and played in the 1990 World Cup.
27. Sulley Muntari
Muntari was another important player in Ghana's run to the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals, earning 84 caps overall. Known for his grit, he won the FA Cup with Portsmouth and was part of Inter Milan's treble-winning squad in 2008/09.
26. Vincent Enyeama
Despite being shorter for a goalkeeper at five-foot-eleven, Enyeama became one of Africa’s best. With 101 Nigerian caps, he won AFCON in 2013 and appeared in two World Cups, shining notably with Lille in France.
25. Freddie Kanoute
Born in France but representing Mali internationally, Kanoute was the first non-African-born player named African Footballer of the Year in 2007. After stints at Lyon, West Ham, and Tottenham, he had great success at Sevilla winning two UEFA Cups.
24. Kolo Toure
Kolo was almost ever-present in Arsenal's unbeaten 2003/04 Premier League season and later won titles with Manchester City. He earned 120 caps for Ivory Coast and helped them win AFCON in 2015.
23. Mohamed Aboutrika
Runner-up for African Player of the Year in 2008, Aboutrika won two AFCON trophies with Egypt. He won seven consecutive Egyptian Premier League titles with Al Ahly and finished as top scorer at the 2006 Club World Cup.
22. Emmanuel Adebayor
Togo’s finest, Adebayor led his nation to its first World Cup in 2006. He moved from Monaco to Arsenal that year and was included in the 2007/08 Premier League PFA Team of the Year. He won African Player of the Year in 2008.
21. Lauren
A versatile player initially signed as a midfielder, Lauren became one of the Premier League’s most reliable right-backs during Arsenal’s Invincibles era. In five years with Cameroon, he won two AFCON titles and Olympic gold in 2000.
20. Rigobert Song
Song earned 137 caps over 17 years with Cameroon, winning two AFCON trophies and playing in four World Cups. His club career included Metz, Liverpool, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor. Later, he coached Cameroon at the 2022 World Cup where they upset Brazil.
19. Bruce Grobbelaar
Born in South Africa but representing Zimbabwe, Grobbelaar came close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup. His fame rose at Liverpool, especially after his eccentric antics during the 1984 European Cup final penalty shootout secured victory.
18. Geremi
Geremi’s career spanned multiple countries including Cameroon, Paraguay, Turkey, Spain, England, and Cyprus. Versatile as a right-back, he won two AFCON titles and Olympic gold with Cameroon. He also lifted the Champions League twice with Real Madrid and won two Premier League titles with Chelsea.
17. Mahmoud El Khatib
A star of the 70s and 80s, El Khatib helped Egypt end a 27-year AFCON drought in 1986. The prolific forward spent his entire club career at Al Ahly and later became their president, guiding the club to ten league titles between 1975 and 1987.
16. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Born in France, Aubameyang is Gabon’s finest, captaining the national team like his father did. He led Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal at various times, won African Player of the Year in 2015, and shared the 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot with Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.
15. Thomas N'Kono
A legendary Cameroonian goalkeeper, N’Kono’s performance at the 1990 World Cup inspired Gianluigi Buffon. He starred in Cameroon’s run to the quarter-finals in Italy and helped them win AFCON six years earlier. He also managed the national team in 2009.
14. Sammy Kuffour
For many, Kuffour is Africa’s best defender. Joining Bayern Munich in 1993, he won six Bundesliga titles and the Champions League. A 1991 U17 world champion, he represented Ghana at their first World Cup in 2006.
13. Roger Milla
Among the earliest African global stars, Milla famously scored four goals at the 1990 World Cup at age 38. Twice African Footballer of the Year and a two-time AFCON winner, he also won the Coupe de France with Monaco and Bastia and scored again at the 1994 World Cup.
12. Nwankwo Kanu
Popular at Arsenal, Kanu had already won the Champions League with Ajax and UEFA Cup with Inter Milan before joining Arsene Wenger’s side in 1999. Standing six-foot-six, the Nigerian forward was a 1996 Olympic champion and helped Arsenal win two Premier League titles.
11. Rabah Madjer
The first African outfield player to win the European Cup, Madjer became an icon with Porto and Algeria in the 80s. He scored the equalizer in Porto’s 1987 European Cup final win and helped Algeria to 1990 AFCON success, playing in their first two World Cups.
10. Jay-Jay Okocha
Joining Bolton on a free transfer in 2002, Okocha is remembered as one of the most entertaining African players in the Premier League. He won AFCON in 1994, Olympic gold in 1996, and was Nigerian Footballer of the Year seven times.
9. Michael Essien
Essien was one of Europe's top box-to-box midfielders, moving to Chelsea in 2005 for a then-record African fee. He was key in Chelsea’s 2005/06 Premier League win and their 2011/12 Champions League triumph. He finished runner-up with Ghana at AFCON 2010.
8. Abedi Pele
Abedi Pele, a three-time African Footballer of the Year (1991-1993), won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993. He claimed AFCON glory with Ghana in 1982 and his sons Andre, Jordan, and Rahim Ayew continued his legacy internationally.
7. Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez was PFA Player of the Year when Leicester City won the Premier League in 2015/16. He transferred to Manchester City in 2018 for 60 million pounds, won another league title, inspired Algeria to AFCON victory, and finally won the Champions League in 2023.
6. Sadio Mane
Mane rose at Red Bull Salzburg and Southampton before joining Liverpool in 2016. Within four years, he won the Premier League and Champions League, forming a deadly front line with Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino. He also won AFCON with Senegal.
5. Yaya Toure
A dominant midfielder, Yaya Toure helped Manchester City win three Premier League titles. African Footballer of the Year from 2011 to 2014, he captained Ivory Coast to AFCON success in 2015 and is among few midfielders to score 20 goals in a Premier League season.
4. Didier Drogba
Drogba was the first African to score 100 Premier League goals. At Chelsea, he won four league titles and the Champions League. Twice African Footballer of the Year and two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, he scored 65 goals in 105 appearances for Ivory Coast.
3. Samuel Eto'o
Eto'o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, was a prolific scorer for Barcelona and Inter Milan, winning the Champions League with both. Third in 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year voting, he won Olympic gold and two AFCON titles with Cameroon, scoring 56 goals in 118 caps.
2. George Weah
Weah was Africa’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 1995 and named FIFA World Player of the Year that same year. Though never playing at a World Cup, he won league titles with PSG and AC Milan and was the top scorer in the 1994/95 Champions League.
1. Mo Salah
Salah struggled in his first Premier League stint at Chelsea but flourished at Liverpool, becoming one of the most feared attackers worldwide. Multiple Premier League Golden Boots, two African Player of the Year awards, PFA Players' Player of the Year, and FWA Footballer of the Year make him simply sensational.
