Like other continents, Africa has a wealth of talent that is recognised both on a continental and international level. These include Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o, Ivorian Didier Drogba and George Weah.
In this article, we present the five greatest African footballers of all time that the continent has witnessed, and who have confirmed whether on the black continent or in Europe.
Here they are: The Top 5 African footballers of all time
5 Jay Jay Okocha :
Augustine Azuka “Jay-Jay” Okocha, born in Enugu, comes from a family of footballers and the name Jay-Jay was inherited from his older brother James, who was also a footballer.
Jay Jay Okocha is a street urchin who began playing on the streets like many other African football stars, usually with a makeshift ball.
Okocha began his career when he joined Enugu Rangers in 1990 and made great strides with the club before moving on to Borussia Neunkeirchen, a German third division side.
In 1991, Austin Okocha joined Ghana international striker Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. He was transferred to Turkish giants Fenerbahçe for around £1 million, where he spent two seasons from 1996 to 1998, before joining French side Paris Saint Germain for an estimated fee of around £14 million in 1998.
Jay Jay Okocha also played for Bolton Wanderers where he helped the team survive relegation and his goal against Westham United was even voted by fans as the club’s best goal of 2008.
Okocha also had a season with Qatar SC and then moved to Hull City in England. in 2007.
At international level, Augustine Okocha won Africa’s most prestigious tournament (Afcon) in 1994 with Nigeria’s Green Super Eagles and was a finalist in 1998; third place: 2003, 2004 in the African Player of the Year awards organised by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
He was also voted Nigeria’s best footballer in 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and was a finalist in 1996.
4 Didier Drogba :
Retired Ivorian professional footballer Didier Yves Drogba Tébily was born in Abidjan and at the age of five was sent to France by his parents to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer.
Tito, as his mother called him, began his youth career in 1988, playing for Tourcoing before moving to Abbeville in 1989.
Drogba joined Le Mans from Ligue 2 in France and made his team debut at Le Mans shortly afterwards, signing his first professional contract in 1999. That same year, he and his Malian wife Alla had their first child, Isaac.
Droba spent four seasons with the Ligue 2 side before moving to Guinguamp for £80,000, where he spent just one season from 2002 to 2003.
Didier Drogba left Ligue 1 for Olympique de Marseille for a fee of £3.3 million and became a fan favourite due to his excellent performances.
Droba’s performance attracted Chelsea and he subsequently signed for the club for a record fee of £24 million and scored his first goal against Crystal palace in the 2004 season.
The Ivory Coast international spent eight seasons with Chelsea, winning four Premier League trophies with three FA Cups and the most prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy in the 2011/2012 season.
After a brilliant career with Chelsea, Drogba went on to play for Shanghai Shenhua in China, Montreal Impact in America and Galatasaray in Turkey.
Drogba won the African Footballer of the Year award in 2006 and 2009 and finished fourth in the Ballon Dor in 2007.
Drogba is credited with helping Côte d’Ivoire qualify for its first FIFA World Cup, held in Germany in 2006.
3) Samuel Eto’o :
Samuel Eto’o Fils, born in Douala, is a retired Cameroonian professional footballer who played as a striker. In his heyday, Eto’o was considered by some football fans and experts to be one of the best strikers in the world.
Samuel Eto’o moved to Real Madrid at the age of 16. Due to competition for his position from more experienced players, he was forced to leave on loan before joining Mallorca in 2000, where he scored 70 goals.
His consistent and impressive form led to a move to Barcelona in 2004, where he scored 130 goals in five seasons and also became the record holder for the most appearances by an African player in La Liga.
After joining Inter Milan in 2009, the Cameroonian became the first player to win two European trebles after consecutive successes with Barcelona and Inter.
After brief spells with Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea, Everton and Sampdoria, Samuel Eto is back in prolific form in the Süper Lig.
As part of the Cameroon national team, Eto’o won the African Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002, and has also taken part in four World Cups and six African Cups of Nations.
2) YaYa Touré :
Born in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, Gnégnéri Yaya Touré is an Ivorian professional footballer who began his career with Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas.
His performances attracted the attention of Europe and he was at Beveren, Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiacos and Monaco before moving to Barcelona in 2007. He played more than 105 games for the club.
Yaya Touré was part of Pep Guardiola’s historic Barcelona 2009, which won six trophies in one calendar year. In 2010, Toure moved to Manchester City from the Premier League and helped the team win their first Premier League trophy in 44 years.
With the national team, he was a highly influential figure from 2004 to 2015, representing the nation at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
He also represented them in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015, helping them to runners-up finishes in 2006 and 2012, while captaining them to victory in 2015 where they beat Ghana in the final.
1) George Oppong Weah :
George Manneh Oppong Weah began his career in his native Liberia, where he played for Bong Range United, Mighty Barrolle and Invincible Eleven Africa Sports.
Oppong Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy and England.
Arsène Wenger, the legendary former Arsenal manager, first brought him to Europe and signed him for Monaco in 1988. Weah moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1992, where he won Ligue 1 in 1994 and became top scorer in the 1994-1995 UEFA Champions League.
Following his consistent and impressive performances, George Oppong Weah signed for AC Milan in 1995, where he spent four successful seasons, winning Serie A twice.
He moved to the Premier League towards the end of his career and was at Chelsea and Manchester City, where he won the FA Cup trophy with Manchester City.
The 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year returned to France to play for Marseille in 2001 and ended his career with Al-Jazeera in 2003.
George Oppong Weah is one of the most unfortunate players to have won the UEFA Champions League despite his burgeoning football career.
Oppong Weah represented Liberia in two African Cup of Nations tournaments and became involved in Liberian politics after retiring from football.
He is the founder of the Congress for Democratic Change and ran for president in the 2005 elections, but failed to lose to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the run-off.
In 2017, George Oppong Weah was elected president of Liberia, defeating acting vice-president Joseph Boakai, and took office on 22 January 2018.
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