Top 5 African footballers of the past 20 years (1998-2018)

#1 Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)

Real Madrid v F.C. Barcelona — Samuel Eto'o rewrote the history books at Barcelona

Born in 1981, Cameroon International Samuel Eto’o is a four-time winner of the African Player of the Year award. In 2011, he also held the status of being the highest paid footballer

In his teenage years, Eto’o longed to sign with a French football club but was turned down because of his age. Still a teen, he joined Real Madrid’s youth academy in 1997 where he was loaned out to many Spanish clubs. He joined the national team, helping the team to win the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics and 2 African Cup of Nations trophies in 2000 and 2002.

Eto’o joined Spanish club RCD Mallorca, and became Mallorca’s all-time leading domestic league scorer and earned 3 African Footballer of the Year awards in a row. In 2010, he won his fourth African Footballer of the Year award — a record.

He joined Spanish team, Barcelona in 2004 and took the world by storm with his blistering performances. During his peak, he was La Liga's best striker and scored an impressive 131 goals for the Catalan giants. He won the Pichichi, 2 UEFA Champions League trophies and was part of the great Barca side that secured a historic treble in 2009.

Eto’o is known for being a prolific striker and a major force in the sport. He is also known for receiving one of the highest soccer salaries in the world. Having been successful at huge clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, Eto'o is arguably the best African footballer of the last 20 years.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Ashwin Hanagudu