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Africa has been home to some incredible talent over the years. The continent has provided some of the finest footballers ever to play the game. Players with quick feet, amazing dribbles, accurate passes, timely shots, incredible strength, fantastic movement, awesome pace and great goalscoring technique have all emerged from the continent in recent years.
The tricks and skills of Jay-Jay Okocha, the pace of Obafemi Martins, Hossam Hassan's unbelievable strength, the dribbles of El Hadji Diouf, the goalscoring sense of Samuel Eto'o and other amazing talents were all treats to the eye.
Besides, scoring goals is another area where the players impressed, with players like Abedi Pele, Rashidi Yekini, Patrick Mboma, George Weah and Nwankwo Kanu all having amazing goalscoring records.
In fact, it is highly remarkable that Africa has produced some of the best strikers in the world. These players proved their brilliance, both in Africa and in Europe, and therefore, they are well recognized.
Here's a quick look at the top 5 of these amazing strikers:
#5 El-Hadji Diouf
He was named the best player on the continent on two different occasions. Diouf scored 21 goals for the Teranga Lions. His best contribution was inspiring his team to their first ever World Cup qualification at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Korea and Japan, where Senegal made it to the quarterfinals.
Diouf impressed on the biggest stage of all and subsequently made it to the World Cup All-Star team.
His achievements earned him a big cash offer to Premier League giants Liverpool, where he later won the UEFA Champions League in 2005, which is popularly known as the “ Miracle Of Istanbul”.
He is one of the finest strikers Africa has offered and remains one of the few African players to win the UEFA Champions League.
#4 Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu is also a two-time African Player of the year winner. He is one of the most decorated players on the continent, having won almost every competition in world football except the World Cup. He was also the captain of the Super Eagles for some time.
Kanu helped Nigeria win the historic Olympic Cup in 1996. That was when he shook the world and got noticed all across the universe.
He played in the World Cup, African Nations Cup, the Champions League, the English Premier League and other reputed competitions all across Europe, where he proved his worth and cemented his place in the list of all-time greats of the continent.
He also played for the world’s biggest clubs like Ajax, where he claimed the Champions League, and Inter Milan, where he won the UEFA Cup playing beside Ronaldo and later moved to Arsenal where he represented the “invincibles” netting over 50 goals for the gunners in a glorious career.
#3 Didier Drogba
His name will be remembered forever at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea legend is the all-time top goalscorer for Ivory Coast with 65 goals in just over 100 appearances. The two-time African 'Player of the year' bagged more goals at Chelsea than any foreign player. Presently, he is the fourth-highest goalscorer of all time at the club.
In 2012, he became the first African to reach 100 Premier League goals. The icing on the cake for the big star, was the 2010 UEFA Champions League final versus Bayern Munich, where he got an equalizer in the 88th minute, extending the match into extra time, and in the penalty shoot-out, he stepped up and scored the decisive penalty that helped Chelsea to their first ever Champions League title.
Also read: Legends of International Football: Didier Drogba
He was recognized all over the world during his playing days and he made Africa really proud in an illustrious career at the top.
#2 Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o is one of the most prolific strikers Africa has ever seen. He scored more than 100 goals in his 5 seasons at the Camp Nou, where he won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2006, scoring in the final. He went on to claim another Champions League trophy with Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho, where he bagged 33 goals in 67 matches.
He is a true African legend who was crowned the Best Player in Africa 4 times (3 in a row). Also, he is the Les Lions Indomptables' all-time top scorer, with 56 goals in 118 appearances. A successful player and a nice person, Samuel Eto'o is truly an African great.
#1 George Weah
Great talent supported by real hard work and determination really pays off, and that is the case when it comes to George Weah. He is arguably the greatest African player of all time. He made history in 1995, becoming the first and only African player to claim the African, European and world 'footballer of the year' awards
In 1996, he was titled the African player of the century. During his illustrious career, he played for the world’s big teams such as PSG, AC Milan, AS Monaco, Chelsea, Manchester City and Olympique Marseille. He scored 22 impressive goals for Liberia in just 60 appearances, helping his national team to qualify for 2 African Cup of Nations finals in 1996 and 2002.
