The history of international football has been significantly influenced by Africa. Numerous memorable World Cup moments have been generated by nations throughout the continent. Senegal’s march to the 2002 edition’s quarterfinals in South Korea and Japan, which included a historic victory over France, will be remembered by many.
How could anyone overlook Asamoah Gyan? In the past, the forward was renowned for playing better for his nation than his clubs, and he played a key role in Ghana’s incredible 2010 run in South Africa. It follows that the continent has undoubtedly produced a large number of very brilliant players, especially considering the number of unforgettable moments these countries have generated over the years.
Many African players, including George Weah, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Nwankwo Kanu, have achieved success at the club level throughout the world, winning numerous awards during their careers. However, who are the top 20 African players of all time?
Ranking Elements
Importance to the team – This can be classed as goals, assists, clean sheets or other contributions to the team.
Goals: Games are won with goals. Attacking players of the highest calibre must consistently score goals.
Club and international trophies: Players who have been instrumental in their team’s success have been given higher rankings. After all, winning trophies is the main goal of professional football.
Individual Awards – Some players stay at clubs that don’t compete for major trophies every year, so using individual awards to rank the best players is also important. The Ballon d’Or the sport’s most coveted individual award.
20 Greatest African Players of All-Time
Rank
Name
Notable club or clubs
Country of origin
1.
Salah Mohamed
Liverpool and Chelsea
Egyptian
2.
Weah, George
Monaco, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain
The Liberian
3.
Eto’o, Samuel
Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea
Cameroonian
4.
Didier Drogba
Chelsea
Ivorian
5.
Toure Yaya
Manchester City and Barcelona
Ivorian
6.
Pele Abedi
Lyon and Marseille
Ghanaian
7.
Mane Sadio
Liverpool and Southampton
The Senegalese
8.
Essien, Michael
Real Madrid and Chelsea
Ghanaian
9.
Mahrez Riyad
Manchester City and Leicester City
Algerian
10.
Jay-Jay Okocha
PSG, Bolton
Nigerian
11.
Kanu Nwankwo
Ajax, Inter Milan, Arsenal
Nigerian
12.
Roger Milla
Montpellier and Monaco
The Cameroonian
13.
The Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick
Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Borussia Dortmund
The Gabonese
14.
Toure Kolo
Liverpool, Celtic, Man City, and Arsenal
Ivorian
15.
Adebayor, Emmanuel
Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham
The Togolese
16.
Madjer Rabah
Valencia and Porto
Algerian
17.
Kuffour, Samuel
Roma and Bayern Munich
Ghanaian
18.
Bruce Grobbelaar
Southampton and Liverpool
The Zimbabwean
19.
Geremi
Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid
The Cameroonian
20.
Lauren
Portsmouth and Arsenal
The Cameroonian
20 Lauren Notable teams: Portsmouth and Arsenal
Lauren was possibly the most underappreciated of all the important players on Arsenal’s Invincibles squad. During that historic season, he made 32 appearances for the Gunners, and over the course of seven years, he would make 241 appearances for the north London team (winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups).
Furthermore, he would accomplish great things with his nation. Notably, Cameroon made history in 2000 by winning both the African Cup of Nations and the Olympic Gold Medal, with Lauren winning the latter tournament’s player of the year award. At AFCON in 2002, he would go on to help his country win glory once more.
19 Geremi
Notable teams include Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.
Another Cameroonian star, Geremi was also part of that triumphant generation to win two AFCONs – starting every game at both tournaments– and the Olympics in the early 2000s. The midfielder was capped over 100 times for his country, showing for just how long he was pivotal to their successes.
He didn’t just thrive internationally, though, as he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League twice, while he also won La Liga. This led to a move to England where he won the Premier League twice at Chelsea.
18Bruce Grobbelaar
Notable clubs: Liverpool, Southampton
Born in South Africa, Bruce Grobbelaar moved to Rhodesia when he was only two months old. After playing for them once on the international scene, he went on to represent Zimbabwe 32 times between 1980 and 1998. He came the closest to qualifying for the World Cup in 1994, when the USA was just one victory away, but he never made it.
Without a doubt, his greatest achievements occurred between the sticks at Anfield. He won six league titles with Liverpool in the 1980s. While playing for the Reds, he also won three FA Cups, three League Cups, and an A European Cup before his career ended.
17
Kuffour, Samuel
Notable teams include Roma and Bayern Munich.
Sammy Kuffour may not be well-known to younger fans, but the Ghanaian was a mainstay at Bayern Munich for several years. He made 227 appearances for the German powerhouses, helping them to win a Champions League and six Bundesliga titles.
At less than six feet, he may not have been the largest, but his strength and positioning more than made up for it. He accompanied Ghana to five Africa Cup of Nations, the 2006 World Cup, and the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he helped them win bronze. Furthermore, in 2001, he was named the BBC African Footballer of the Year.
16 Rabah Madjer
Notable teams include Valencia and Porto.
Playing his finest football in Portugal, the Algerian was a true jewel of a striker. Rabah Madjer was acknowledged as one of the greatest players in the world after winning three league titles and the 1987 European Cup during his six years at Porto.
He was named African Footballer of the Year in 1987 and went on to win player of the tournament at the 1990 AFCON while leading Algeria to victory. Given everything, it’s understandable why Johan Cruyff once tried to sign Madjer to Ajax.
15 Emmanuel Adebayor Prominent teams: Tottenham, Manchester City, and Arsenal
At Arsenal, he was widely regarded as a club hero during his time in north London. However, he soon became an enemy of the club forever. A dramatic move to Manchester City in 2009 led to him scoring against his former club and producing one of the most iconic (and infamous) celebrations of the Premier League era, running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the travelling Arsenal fans, who were left raging.
Just when everyone thought he could not tarnish his Gunners’ legacy further, Emmanuel Adebayor then moved to fierce rivals Tottenham in 2012. The forward was known for his imposing height and ability to cause havoc for opposing defenders during his playing days. The one-time African Footballer of the Year failed to win anything with his beloved Togo, but was arguably aa well-known figure in Europe during his playing days,
14Kolo Toure
Notable clubs: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Celtic
Kolo Toure will go down as one of the most iconic defenders to play in the Premier League. Although he won’t be listed alongside players like John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, and Nemanja Vidic, the Ivorian still had a successful career in England and is frequently overlooked when discussing the best defenders of his generation. In addition to making an impression at Arsenal, Toure was also a reliable back for Manchester City and Liverpool before leaving the league in 2016. The former Ivory Coast international ended his playing career a year later after his stint with Celtic, before turning pro. His greatest accomplishment on the international stage came in 2015 when he was a member of the Ivory Coast team that won the Africa Cup of Nations. 13 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Notable clubs: Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona
London rivals Arsenal saw the true Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang despite his difficult time at Chelsea. Before joining Barcelona, the striker, who was one of Arsene Wenger’s last acquisitions at Arsenal, was a vital member of the team for a number of years and enjoyed scoring goals for fun. Although his big break came with Saint-Étienne in France, he made a name for himself as one of the continent’s top scorers during his time with Borussia Dortmund before to joining Arsenal.
Known for his lightning-fast speed and keen goal-spotting, the Gabon international had an incredible stint in Germany, winning both the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup. The outstanding forward has scored a few remarkable goals over the years and was named African Footballer of the Year in 2015.
12Roger Milla
Notable clubs: Monaco, Montpellier
https://twitter.com/rossonerozola/status/1760381759609340093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1760381759609340093%7Ctwgr%5Ee42e3ba1d4794f9b2bb42a5353cbad911d04c2ca%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2Fgreatest-african-players-football-soccer-history%2F
Roger Milla’s hip-waggling corner flag celebration during the World Cup match versus Colombia is his most famous moment. But it’s safe to argue that during his professional career, he helped to popularise African football. The former forward played a lot for teams like Monaco, Bastia, and Montpellier in France. He was Camroon’s lucky charm in the 1980s, helping them win two AFCONs in 1984 and 1988 and taking first place in scoring in the latter tournament.
He is still the oldest player to ever score at a World Cup, as many may already be aware. He was scoring at the highest level even though he was 42 at the time, scoring against Russia in the US tournament in 1994. Milla is still considered one of the greatest African players of all time.
11 Kanu Nwankwo
Notable teams include Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Ajax.
Nwankwo Kanu was not a prolific goal scorer, but it was difficult to understand how he, at 6′ 6″, could move with such grace and elegance on the football pitch. He received a lot of praise for his unconventional style, which helped him succeed with Ajax, winning several Dutch titles and a Champions League, before having a disappointing stint at Inter Milan before joining Arsenal in 1998. The Nigerian striker added two league titles with Arsenal before winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008.
10Jay-Jay Okocha
Notable clubs: PSG, Bolton
Jay-Jay Okocha making Oliver Kahn look silly pic.twitter.com/f66ny9Jxjm
— Former Footballers (@FinishedPlayers) February 14, 2024
Undoubtedly one of the most flamboyant and entertaining players of the Premier League era, Jay-Jay Okocha is so excellent that he was nominated twice. Supporters of Bolton Wanderers would do anything to return to the early 2000s, when Sam Allardyce was their manager and they had players like Okocha, Youri Djorkaeff, and Fernando Hierro. When it comes to flair, there aren’t many players in England that can be compared to him.
He was a maestro with the ball at his feet and arguably their most skilled player ever. Watching Okocha on the pitch never got old to the Bolton supporters. The Nigerian player’s free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to the English team was unexpected, but he didn’t let anyone down while he was there. Despite his limited list of accolades, Okocha was twice selected the African Footballer of the Year.
9. Riyad Mahrez
Notable teams include Manchester City and Leicester City.
Riyad Mahrez was one of the most talented wingers in the Premier League for a good number of seasons. Keepers had no hope of stopping what was about to happen as he cut inside on his preferred foot, even if many would contend that he heavily favoured his left boot. In an effort to open up opportunities for himself and his teammates, he was always prepared to run at the opposition full-back.
The Algerian player played a significant role in Manchester City’s 2022–2023 campaign, which saw them win a historic treble. During his tenure with Leicester, he rose to prominence in the league and helped the Foxes win the Premier League in 2016 by playing alongside Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante. In 2023, he departed England for Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, having won five Premier League titles.
