The 7 best African soccer players of all time

Soccer is the most played and watched sport on the planet. While its popularity extends to much of Europe and parts of Asia, it enjoys absolute dominance as Africa’s favoured sport. Given Africa’s spirited support of the sport, the continent has been home to many players who gained national and international fame for their on-field skills. We’ll introduce you to several of the best African soccer players of all time and their accomplishments.

1) Riyad Mahrez

Mahrez has fresh accomplishments. As an active member of Algeria FC and Manchester City, he became the first African player to win the Premier League five times, surpassing Didier Drogba with his most recent win in 2023. The Professional Footballers’ Association named him Player of the Year at the end of 2016, making him the first African player to receive the honour.

As a super smooth attacker, Riyad’s most remarkable abilities are his speed, passing, and outstanding touch. While Mahrez certainly scores goals, his passing skills make him dangerous; he can drive the ball but has at least nine assists per year when giving others scoring opportunities.

2) Jay-Jay Okocha

Jay-Jay Okocha earned his spot on our list with his creativity and elusiveness. Jay-Jay’s feet were remarkably quick, allowing him to move with a fluid motion that frequently confused opponents and goalies. He would play for the Nigerian national team in three World Cup appearances, including making the “Squad of the Tournament” in 1998. Another one of his international successes included winning a gold medal with Nigeria during the 1996 Olympics.

Jay-Jay went on to win Nigerian Football Player of the Year an astonishing seven times and earned a spot on Pele’s “Best 125 Living Football Players” list in 2004. Ultimately, he became known for putting on outstanding displays of skills that got the crowd roaring whenever he touched the ball.

3) Rabah Madjer

Madjer’s presence on the Algerian national team quickly ended the country’s 12-year drought of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, ultimately ending with an impressive second-place finish in 1980. He was also a leader on the Algerian Olympic football team that reached the quarterfinals, an incredible display for the level of competition.

After the Olympics, Rabah would lead FC Porto for over 100 games, scoring 51 goals. He is best known for his iconic backheel goal against Bayern in the 1987 European Cup final to put his team up for good. As such a constant scoring threat, he would have been fun to wager on via betting platforms that feature players’ reviews of casinos and sportsbooks.

The star player would return to Algeria as the national team coach in 2017.

4) Roger Milla

We know Roger Milla as one of the first African players to gain international fame. He also played soccer for longer than most, as his ability to score and lead helped him earn the African Player of the Year twice with quite some time in between, in 1976 and 1990. 

Born in Cameroon, Milla spent 12 years in France playing for various teams and scoring goals all the way. Years later, Roger considered himself retired from international play in 1989 but was asked to return to the Cameroon national team to play in the World Cup at age 38. He would be one of the tournament’s highlights, scoring four goals, though the team lost in the quarterfinal stage.

Milla’s extreme tenure as a professional soccer player continued just a bit longer when he played for Cameroon in the World Cup again four years later, though the team didn’t have the same success. Still, Milla performed consistently over so many years that he earned a spot on our list.

5) Didier Drogba

Drogba and Riyad Mahrez have been compared, and rightfully so. Drogba helped Chelsea claim three Premier League titles while scoring a stellar 104 goals in 254 appearances, making him the league’s highest-scoring African ever.

He led Ivory Coast’s national team in three World Cups, scoring two goals and doing well, though the team didn’t advance far.

6) George Weah

George Weah earns a spot on our list of the top African soccer players of all time because of his otherworldly striker abilities. He is also the only African player to win the coveted Ballon d’Or for his performance in 1995. Before Weah earned the award, he had proven himself in French leagues, leading his team to a European Cup Winner’s Cup while scoring four goals in nine games.

Weah won the African Football Player of the Year three times, which remains an impressive feat in itself.

7) Samuel Eto’o

Eto’o’s formidability as a striker reigned, as demonstrated by his goal-scoring ability. He netted 364 goals in 729 professional games, including 130 goals for FC Barcelona alone.

The footballer-turned-entrepreneur became the all-time leading scorer for Africa’s Cup of Nations and his home nation of Cameroon. Samuel led his teams to three Champions League victories, scoring twice in the finals.

Conclusion

Africa remains a force on the world soccer scene, with many players dominating in European leagues and putting on an impressive show in the African Cup of Nations. Many of the goal scorers and leaders we listed here are pioneers who put the tremendous skills of players under the world spotlight.