10) Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
The youngest player on this list, Osimhen has already made a historic impact. His role in Napoli’s 2022/23 Serie A title win ended over 30 years of hurt for the club, and he became the first African to win the league’s top scorer award. His move to Galatasaray in 2024, initially on loan, was a surprise move for a player at the peak of his career, but he has continued to score at an impressive rate domestically, in Europe and for Nigeria. Having previously won silverware for his country at Under 17 and Under 23 age groups, he will be keen to add the senior Africa Cup of Nations to his growing trophy cabinet.
9) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
During his time at Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was among the most lethal strikers in the world. Across all competitions, he scored 141 goals in 213 games for the German side, before a move to Arsenal that saw him continue to average more than a goal every other game. Aubameyang and Gabon’s 2025/26 AFCON ended in disaster, with the nation eliminated after two games following defeats to Cameroon and Mozambique. It wasn’t the ending to a glittering career that the striker deserved.
8) Michael Essien (Ghana)
At his peak, Essien was one of the most complete midfielders in world football, beloved by José Mourinho during Chelsea’s dominant 2000s era. The Ghanian was intelligent, physically dominant and rarely dropped a stinker. For Ghana, he appeared in two World Cups and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, albeit without silverware.
7) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Despite the heights he reached at Manchester City, Mahrez’s career will always be defined by that Leicester title winning season of 2015/16. Alongside Jamie Vardy and Ngolo Kante, Mahrez was one of the standout stars who delivered one of the greatest stories in football history. Following his move to City, he reached another level of creativity and output. He left the Premier League with five league titles, plus a Champions League, two FA Cups and three League Cups. A trophy with Algeria has so far eluded Mahrez, could they go the distance in the 2025/26 AFCON?
6) Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
The definitive modern full back. Rapid, tactically versatile and dominant in both halves, Hakimi was instrumental in PSG’s successful 2024/25 quadruple winning season. In 2022, he helped Morocco reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, a first for any African nation. Morocco are through to the quarter-finals, and as hosts they remain one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
5) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
It is testament to the quality of African talent that Yaya Touré only ranks fifth on this list. It was after his move to Manchester City that he reached his peak – a level yet unmatched in the Premier League. His 2013/14 season, scoring 20 league goals from midfield, was extraordinary. Physically dominant and technically refined, he was central to City’s most dominant era. Touré’s peak was as high as any African player in England.
4) Sadio Mané (Senegal)
Salah might have grabbed the headlines with his goal contributions, but often it was the intelligence of Mané that made Liverpool’s infamous front three tick. His selfless movement, pressing and big-game goals were crucial to their Champions League and Premier League triumphs. Internationally, he delivered Senegal’s first Africa Cup of Nations title. Often underrated even to this day, Mané’s influence was immense for both club and country.
3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
The player for big occasions. Not many players can claim to have stopped a civil war; Didier Drogba can. His rallying cry to the nation after Ivory Coast’s success in the 2006 World Cup qualification campaign led to an unlikely ceasefire. On the pitch, Drogba always delivered when it mattered most, such as his iconic bullet header in the 2012 Champions League final. He was not always prolific, but when it mattered most, few players in football history were more reliable.
2) Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
Few strikers hit the heights that Samuel Eto’o reached in the 2000s. Four Champions League trophies with three different clubs tells its own story. He was also Cameroon’s talisman, leading them to two Africa Cup trophies, as well as a Gold Medal in the 2000 Olympics. He thrived alongside superstars at their peak such as Lionel Messi and Wesley Sneijder, before continuing to consistently find the back of the net well into his 30s. For longevity, adaptability and silverware, Eto’o set the benchmark for African excellence in the 21st century.
1) Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
The Egyptian – and indeed African – King. Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has established himself as the world’s greatest goalscoring winger, bar none. In 421 appearances for the club, he’s bagged 250 goals and contributed 117 assists, a truly mind boggling return that only Erling Haaland comes close to beating. He has won countless individual awards, as well as winning every domestic trophy there is to win with Liverpool. Salah is yet to win silverware with Egypt, but they’ve already qualified for the quarter-finals. Could this be his crowning achievement?
