The Champions League has seen a host of players from all corners of the globe, arguably the best footballers in the world. The top 10 African goalscorers in Champions League history

World-class athletes from every continent have competed in this tournament at one time or another and, unsurprisingly, athletes from Europe and South America make the headlines every time.

However, a number of African stars have made their mark in Europe’s biggest competitions, and some have achieved remarkable feats.

The top 10 African goalscorers in Champions League history

10 Emmanuel Adebayor

Former Togolese international Emmanuel Adebayor played in the Champions League with Arsenal, Monaco, Real Madrid and Istanbul Basaksehir FK. The former captain of the Éperviers du Togo, scorer of 14 goals in the LDC, is one of Africa’s top scorers in the competition.

His best season was 2008/09. Back then, he scored five goals in seven games for Arsenal. Emmanuel Adebayor retired from soccer in 2020 after a brief spell with Paraguay’s Olimpia Asunción.

9 George Weah

George Weah is the only African player and the first non-European footballer to win the Ballon d’Or.

The three-time African Player of the Year spent five seasons in the Champions League and its predecessor, the European Cup. He represented Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan in the competition, but never won. He scored 14 goals in the Champions League.

After retiring from soccer, Weah became a politician and is currently the 25th President of Liberia.

8 Vincent Aboubakar

Next on the list of top African players is Cameroon’s Vincent Abubakar. The Indomitable Lion, scorer of 14 Champions League wins, is ranked 8th. The Cameroonian striker has played for FC Porto and Besiktas in this competition. He last played there in the 2019/20 season.

7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has only played for two clubs in the Champions League: Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. This despite the fact that the Gabon international had previously played for Arsenal and Barcelona. Despite this, he was a regular goalscorer for Dortmund in Europe.

His best performance came in the 2015/16 season, when he scored seven goals and helped the German club reach the quarter-finals. The Gabonese striker scored 17 goals in the tournament.

6 Seydou Doumbia

Among the African players with the most Champions League goals is Seydou Doumbia, who retires in 2022 at the age of 34. The Ivorian striker enjoyed the best years of his career at CSKA Moscow, scoring regularly in Europe, including his famous brace in a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad in 2014. He also played for Sporting CP and BSC Young Boys.

He has scored a total of 19 Champions League goals.

5 Riyad Mahrez

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez has been one of the Premier League’s top strikers in recent years.

His achievements are all the more impressive given that he has had to work constantly under Josep Guardiola.

However, time away from the pitch at national level has given the Algerian international time to showcase his talent in Europe. And he didn’t disappoint!

The Algerian became the fifth African player to score more than 20 goals in the Champions League.

With 20 goals in the LDC, Riyad Mahrez has reached a new milestone in the pantheon of African soccer. At the age of 32, Fenech still seems to be having just as much fun on the soccer pitch.

4 Sadio Mané

Sadio Mané is the fourth most successful African in Champions League history. The Senegalese international will forever be known as a Liverpool legend for his incredible performances during his time at Anfield.

The Lion of Teranga shone on many famous nights under the lights of Merseyside, the winger scoring 24 Champions League goals for the Reds. Sadio Mané won the 2019 tournament with Liverpool.

From 2013 to 2014, he also played for Salzburg in Austria during the Champions League qualifiers.

3 Samuel Eto’o

Former Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o’s 15 years with a number of Europe’s top clubs bear witness to his impressive reputation. The striker scored 30 goals in 78 Champions League matches.

He scored 16 goals for Spanish giants Barcelona, 10 for Italian club Inter Milan and three and one each for Chelsea and Mallorca. It’s hard to say whether he played his best soccer for Barcelona or Inter Milan, as he put in excellent performances for both clubs.

Samuel Eto’o has won the Champions League three times, twice with Barcelona and once with Inter. His role in helping Inter win the title and achieve a historic treble in 2010 was undoubtedly his greatest.

2 Didier Drogba

Chelsea and Côte d’Ivoire legend Didier Drogba replaces the ranking of top African goalscorer in Champions League history.

The deadly striker intimidated opposing defenders with his sheer presence, and his impressive size increased as soon as he had the ball at his feet.

Even the best defenders in the world were outmatched and outwitted by powerful attackers, always on the move, often surprising goalkeepers. By the time they could react, it was too late and the ball was already in the back of the net.

Drogba scored 36 Champions League goals for his beloved Chelsea, including five with Marseille and three with Galatasaray.

All three clubs will be honoured to have the Ivorian player in their ranks. He played 92 Champions League matches in 12 years, scoring a total of 44 goals.

1 Mohamed Salah

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been setting the soccer world alight since arriving at Anfield after being released by Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Blues will still have a hard time coming to terms with this decision, given the Egyptian’s continued brilliant form in front of goal for the Reds. And he’s not done yet!

Pharaoh tops the list with 48 goals. Mohamed Salah scored twice in Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over Porto in September 2021, overtaking Eto’o as the second-highest African scorer in the Champions League.

The Egyptian king has played in Europe for FC Basel, Chelsea, AS Roma and Liverpool. His big moment came when he scored the opening goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final.

Pos	Player	Goals
1.	Salah	48
2.	Drogba	36
3.	Eto’o	30
4.	Sadio Mané	24
5.	Riyad Mahrez	20
6.	Seydou Doumbia	19
7.	Aubameyang	62
8.	Vincent Aboubakar	17
9.	George Weah	14
10.	Adebayor	14