Chelsea vs Arsenal: Ranking the top 5 African players to play for either club in recent years

Chelsea will take on league toppers Arsenal in one of the most high-profile fixtures in the Premier League this weekend.

The Blues will be hoping to get their pound of revenge after losing scandalously to the Gunners at home last season by 4-2. Mikel Arteta's side also handed Chelsea a 4-0 thrashing during pre-season.

Both teams currently had contrasting starts to the 2022-23 Premier League campaign. Arsenal head into the encounter at the top of the league table while Chelsea are sixth and 10 points behind their London rivals.

The two teams also have a good history of having top African players in their squads in recent years. Some of these players have played a key role in fashioning their team's success. As such, this article will take a look at the top five players to represent either club.

#5 Emmanuel Adebayor - Arsenal

The Togolese striker is arguably one of the best African players to play for Arsenal in recent years, despite spending three seasons with the Gunners.

Recall that the north London club signed Emmanuel Adebayor in January 2006 from French club Monaco, for a transfer fee in the region of £3 million.

The 2008 African Footballer of the Year went on to make a combined total of 142 appearances for Arsenal. He also registered a total of 62 goals and 19 assists.

Adebayor went on to play for a couple of top European teams after leaving the Gunners, including Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Real Madrid.

#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Arsenal & Chelsea

The Gabonese player is regarded as one of Africa's biggest exports in recent years, judging by his performances in Europe.

He is also among the few names that have been privileged to represent Premier League clubs Arsenal and Chelsea over the years.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from the German club side Borussia Dortmund for a transfer fee in the region of £56 million in January 2018.

He also registered a total of 92 goals and 21 assists for the Gunners, making 163 appearances in all competitions and winning two trophies.

The 2015 African Footballer of the Year joined the Blues this summer from Spanish giants Barcelona. All eyes will be on Aubameyang when his team faces the Gunners this weekend.

#3 Nwankwo Kanu - Arsenal

The Nigerian veteran is widely considered one of the greatest African players to play for Arsenal and also in the Premier League.

Nwankwo Kanu joined the Gunners in 1999 from Italian giants Inter Milan for a transfer fee in the region of £4.15 million. He spent a total of five seasons with Arsenal and was part of the 2004 Invincibles.

Kanu scored 44 goals and registered 29 assists for Arsenal in 196 appearances. He was also famously known for scoring a fifteen-minute hat trick against Chelsea in 1999, with the Gunners winning the game by 3-2.

#2 Samuel Eto'o - Chelsea

Samuel Eto'o celebrating against Tottenham Hotspur

The Cameroonian football legend is Africa's most decorated player to play in Europe due to what he was able to achieve in his career.

Samuel Eto'o also had a short spell in the Premier League when he signed for the Blues in 2013 on a one-year deal.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year went on to score 12 goals and registered a further seven assists in 35 appearances for the Blues.

Eto'o was among Jose Mourinho's team that handed Arsenal a 6-0 thrashing during Arsene Wenger's 1000th game in charge of the Gunners. The striker scored the opener for the Blues in the fifth minute.

#1 Didier Drogba - Chelsea

A list of top African players to play for either Chelsea or Arsenal just wouldn't be complete without mentioning Ivorian legend Didier Drogba.

He is widely considered one of the greatest strikers of his generation and is also among the all-time Blues legends.

Drogba joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004 from Marseille and went on to score 164 goals for the Blues in 381 appearances. He is also among the few African players to score up to 100 Premier League goals (104).

The Ivorian legend also has a prolific goal-scoring record against north London side Arsenal. He netted 13 times against the Gunners in 15 meetings with the Blues.

About the author

David is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda. An Economics graduate, he boasts a work experience of around 5 years, working as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria, a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia, and an analyst at Kaftan TV Abuja. His time as an anchor and a pitch-side commentator in the Higher Football League Cup (HiFL) competition in 2019 is one of his proudest professional achievements.

David started his journey as a football fan after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup with his father. He’s a Chelsea supporter at club level, and his favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because of the Italian's numerous achievements across a host of European teams. Lionel Messi is the one true G.O.A.T for him and unsurprisingly, his most memorable FIFA World Cup moment is Argentina's glory in 2022. According to David, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are on course to replicating Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic rivalry in the future.

David’s football knowledge and excellent communication skills aid him to connect with readers in the simplest way possible via his articles. He makes it a point to watch matches to gain first-hand information of events and only follows renowned journalists to ensure accuracy of information. When not writing, he loves playing FIFA.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat