10 Best African Soccer Players of All Time

This is a compilation of the 10 Best African Soccer Players of all time to play the round leather game. This is based on both performance and awards received.

10. Thomas Nkono

Thomas Nkono is the best African goalkeeper of all time. He won the African Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1982. He played in three World Cups (1982, 1990 and 1994) for Cameroon. Italian Keeper Gianlugi Buffon named his first son Thomas (born December 28, 2007) after Thomas Nkono, who used to be his favorite goalkeeper.

9. Hossam Hassan

 

Hossam Hassan is the most capped African Player with 169 international matches and 69 goals. He won the African Nations Cup thrice (1986, 1998, 2006) and played in the 1990 World Cup. He won 13 league titles in the Egyptian League and two African Champions League (1987, 2002).

8. Rabah Madjer

 

Rabah Madjer won the African Footballer of the Year in 1987 and also the European Champions Cup in the same year with FC Porto. He won the African Nations Cup in 1990, UEFA Super Cup, three Portuguese League titles and other awards in his playing days.

7. Kalusha Bwalya

 

Kalusha Bwalya is the most capped all-time goal scorer with 50 goals and captain of the famous KK Eleven of the Zambian National Team. He won the African Footballer of the Year in 1988 and was the 12th best in the FIFA World Player of the Year 1996.

6. Kanu Nwankwo

 

Kanu Nwankwo won the European Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Dutch Title all in 1995. He also won the African Footballer of the Year in 1996, 1999 and was the 6th FIFA World Player of the Year in 1999. He won the Olympic Gold medal in 1996, two English Premier League titles, two English FA Cups and a few other awards.

5. Didier Drogba

 

Didier Drogba is the Cote d’lvoire all-time top scorer with 45 goals in 71 matches. He won the African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009. He won three English Premier League, three FA Cups and other various awards. He was also included in the Time Magazine list of World Top 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.

4. Abedi Pele

 

Abedi Pele is the all-time Ghana top scorer with 33 goals in 73 games. He won the African Nations Cup in 1982 and was the African Footballer of the Year in 1991 and 1992. He won four league titles and one European Champions Cup with Marseille (1993). He was the 9th FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992.

3. George Weah

 

George Weah won the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, 1995 European Player of the Year and the African Footballer of the Year twice (1989 and 1995). George Weah lost narrowly in the Liberian Presidential elections in 2005.

2. Roger Milla

 

Roger Milla won the African Footballer of the year twice (1976 and 1990) and the African Nations Cup twice (1984 and 1988). Roger Milla achieved international stardom at 38 scoring four goals at the 1990 World Cup and he is the oldest goal scorer in the World Cup at 42 in USA’94.

1. Samuel Eto’o

 

Samuel Eto’o is the most decorated African Player of all time and Cameroon all-time top scorer with 52 goals. He is the only player to have won the African Footballer of the Year award four times (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010). He has played in three World Cups, six African Nations Cups, and he is the all-time leading scorer in the African Nations Cup with 18 goals. He is the first ever player to win two European Trebles back to back with Barcelona and Internazionale. He won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2000 and was the 3rd FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005. Some of his awards and recognitions  highlighted below.

- African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008.      - UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006

- La Liga Top Scorer: 2006.                                 - African Cup of Nations All-Time Top Scorer

- RCD Mallorca All-Time Top Scoccer.                     - Cameroon All-Time Top Scorer

- 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Third.             - UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match 2006

- FIFA Club World Cup – Golden Ball 2010.

Your comments are welcome especially if you have a different list.

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