The title of the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) has been for long conferred on two football players of our time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The duo keeps smashing and setting records day in and day out, and they can legitimately claim the spot.
However, despite that, the game has always been dominated by the European and South American for long, the Africa continent as well is not short of creative and mesmerizing players with admirable characters on and off the pitch.
Without further ado, here is the list of our ten best African footballers of all time based on their individual accolades, team achievement, and extraordinary skills on the pitch:
10. Austin Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria)
The inclusion of the legendary Nigeria number 10 talisman is one that will continuously raise eyebrows among football lovers. While some think that he underachieved as a player, only a few can dispute his footballing skills, and his ability to wow the crowd with flicks and tricks, keeping them on the edge of their seats.
Okocha started his career in the 1990s and would go on to represent eight teams, including PSG, Bolton Wanderers, Hull City, and other clubs in Germany, Turkey, and France.
When Bolton captured his signature as a free transfer from PSG, he quickly endeared himself to the crowd, and Big Sam was reported to have said: “He was so good they named him twice.”
While Okocha failed to win any significant honours at the club level, he was part of Nigeria’s golden that won the Olympic gold medal in 1990 and repeated the feat in 1994 by winning the African Cup of Nation, 1994 edition. Also, he was named BBC best player twice, one of the only two players to have won the prize two times.
Even the master of trickery himself, Ronaldinho has once labelled Jay-Jay Okocha as his mentor, while Mario Gomez called him his idol.
9. Thomas N’kono (Cameroon)
To be a two-time African Footballer of the Year as a goalkeeper is a laudable achievement any shot-stopper will be proud of. He managed that feat in 1979 and 1982, and also secured the African Cup of Nations with his Cameroon team in 1984. At the club level, N’kono was a winner of Cameroon Championship five times and also represented the Spanish club, RCD Español. He featured in two World Cups with Cameroon, and also has a continental award with Kpa-Kum.
8. Essam El-Hadary (Egypt)
One of the most underrated best African players in our list, Essam El-Hadary, is the most rated goalkeeper on our list. He won the African Cup of Nations with Egypt, the highest of any player from Africa. He achieved a feat no one has been able to match to date by playing in three Cup of Nations finals without conceding a single goal. Although Essam plied his trade locally with African clubs, that should not undermine his achievements. He’s an eight-time winner of the African Champions League with both Al Ahly of Egypt and Al-Merreikh of Sudan. He also played for several clubs such as Sion, Ismaily, Zamalek, and Damietta. He has over 150 caps for Egypt and was the oldest player in World Cup history when he represented Egypt at FIFA 2018, aged 45 years and 161 days.
7. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Voted as Chelsea’s greatest player ever, Didier Drogba is an iconic footballer that redefined what a centre-forward should be. He remains Ivory Coast’s top scorer with 49 international goals, despite failing to win any significant trophy for his national team. However, Drogba cemented his legendary status at the club level. While representing the pride of London, he won four English Premier League titles, four FA Cup, three League cup winners, and four Super Cup. He would go on to win Championship in Turkey, and his strike against Bayern Munich in Champions League final in 2012 took the game to extra time and marks Chelsea’s sole UEFA Champion League cup to date. Didier Drogba is a recipient of the best African player award twice in 2006 and 2009. He’s the current top scorer in Ivory Coast football history, managing 65 strikes in 104 matches.
6. Roger Milla (Cameroon)
Reputed as one of the first Cameroonian footballers to have plight his trade at the international level, Albert Roger Miller kickstart his career when he joined Éclair club of Douala in 1965 before he moved to Europe where he played for Monaco and Bastia. In 1980 and 1981, the Cameroonian led his team to league cup glory in France.
On his national level accomplishments, Roger Milla won the Africa Cup of Nation two times and reached the finals of the 1992 World Cup.
Milla is not short of individual awards as well; he has been invited to the podium as the African Footballer of the Year five-time, emerging as the winner twice. Also, he represented Cameroon at the World Cup three times and remains the oldest player to score a goal in the final at the age of 42.
5. Kanu Nwankwo (Nigeria)
“Papillo” is fondly called by Nigerians is truly a legend of the game! Despite often been restricted to a substitute role due to his health condition, Kanu has a unique style of play that made him unpredictable and keeps opposing defenders on their toes throughout the entire minutes on the pitch. He has won everything to win barring a Nations cup medal. He won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax, English Premier League, Super Cup and FA Cup with Arsenal. He equally played a critical role in Ajax winning the Eredivisie three times and was part of Nigeria’s Olympic winning team. He also represented Inter Milan and won silverware with the Italian club. He was a two-time winner of African Footballer of the Year and won BBC Footballer of the Year Twice.
4. Abedi Pele (Ghana)
Abedi Ayew was more prominently known as “Pele” after the Brazilian icon, one of the Greatest of All Time. The Ghanaian football maestro was a winner of the African Cup of Nation in 1982 and was a runner-up winner against Ghana a decade later. The only dent in his career was his inability to represent Ghana at the World Cup level.
However, he cemented his legacy as one of the greats when he won Olympic Marseille’s only Champions League in 1992/1993 edition. He also won Ligue 1 tile three times with Velodrome. Abedi Pele won the African Player of the Year award three times in a row and was also a recipient of BBC African Player of the Year one time in his career.
3. Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
The “human train” is arguably the best midfielder that has graced the football pitch from Africa. The only player to have won African Footballer of the Year for four consecutive years, 2011, 1012, 2013, and 2014. Also, he remains the first Ivory Coast player to win the Champions League in 2009 with his exploit in Barcelona. Also, he won two Spanish League titles and three English Premier League awards. And where his compatriot, Didier Drogba, failed, Yaya Touré triumphed when his Ivory Coast team defeated Ghana in 2015 to spark a viral celebration from the former. He also recorded in various degrees across various football clubs including Monaco, and Olympiacos.
2. George Weah (Liberia)
To some, George Weah is the greatest of all time when it comes to African footballers. His success on the pitch can never be underestimated, backed up with being the only African player to win the prestigious World Best Footballer in 1995. Although George had little success with his less glamorous Liberia nation, that didn’t stop him from being crowned African best footballer on three occasions, 1989, 1994, and 1995. He also has European Footballer of the Year in his belt as well as one BBC Footballer of the Year award. The Cameroonian has represented several clubs in Europe and won various titles, including two Serie A titles with Milan, FA Cup with Chelsea, and one League title with PSG. He has also featured for Manchester City and Al-Jazira. Presently, George Weah is the president of Liberia, establishing his contribution to his nation on and off the pitch.
1. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
Like him or hate him, you can’t erase his record! Samuel Eto’o is unarguably the most decorated and the best player that the African continent has ever produced. Football lovers might have their favorites, but no African player, whether dead or living, can rival the achievements of Eto’o, both nationally and at club level. He won the Africa Nations tournament twice with Cameroon and was part of the Olympic winning team for the West Africa country. He topped the tournament scoring chart in 2006 and 2008 edition and is the current all-time scorer for the Indomitable Lions in the history of Nations cup.
At the club level, Eto’o has three Champions League award with Barcelona and Inter Milan, the most of any African player in history. He has won four major league cups in both Spain and Italy and was named Man of the Match in Champions League final of 2006 edition. Eto’o’s most significant achievement was earning African Player of the Year four times. He has a record 130 goals for Barcelona and scored in two Champion Leagues finals. In 2005, the legendary Cameroonian footballer came third in World best footballer ceremony award.
What’s your thought? Who do you think is missing or is not qualified to be on this list? Comment below, and don’t forget to share with your friends across all social media platforms.
