10 Fittest African Footballers of All Time

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

In recent years, there has been a real surge of talent coming out of African nations. Guys like Samuel Kuffor, George Weah and Drogba have managed to succeed at Europe’s best clubs, cementing their statuses as legends of the game.

Without a doubt, football is probably the most popular sport in every African country,

With the increased development of African football each ongoing year, more unknown players will lit up the big stages in the near future. African players are usually known for their physical strength and fitness. Some of them are among the world’s best players and are also rated very highly by their peers.

With that being said, let's have a look at the 10 fittest African players to have played football.


10) Ahmed Hassan

AFCON Final - Cameroon v Egypt
AFCON Final - Cameroon v Egypt

Ahmed Hassan is a former Egyptian midfielder who is the most capped male footballer in history. On 27 March 2012, Hassan started a friendly match against Kenya which broke the world record for most international appearances for any international male player with 181 matches played. He ended his international career with 184 appearances for The Pharaohs.

The durable midfielder also lifted the CAF Champions League with Al Ahly in 2008 and has also won league and cup trophies in his native country, Turkey and Belgium. One of Egypt’s most successful exports to Europe, Hassan was named Player of the Tournament at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

He was a strong and yet very technical player, his durability over the years has shown as he played in 8 African Cup of Nations tournaments and won 4 titles in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010 establishing themselves as kings of Africa.

He is regarded as one of the best players in African football history. He was a key player for Anderlecht and Besiktas and ended his European career earlier as his family had already returned to Egypt.

His club career was solid but not spectacular but was hardworking and willing to learn the ins and outs of the game, he was the ultimate captain and team player.

Hassan retired in 2013 and managed Egyptian club Petrojet for a short while in 2015. Right now, Hassan works for the Egyptian channel DMC where he analyzes the games of the Egyptian first division.

9) Kalidou Koulibaly

SSC Napoli v AC Milan - Serie A
SSC Napoli v AC Milan - Serie A

The Senegalese international is terrific in the air, can pass like any other top defender and is brilliant at reading the game to make timely interceptions. Add that with his speed and he becomes a nightmare for opposing strikers.

With his versatility to play anywhere in defense, he is the poster kid for the complete modern-day center-back. His style of play is powerful, yet so eloquent. Koulibaly is 6ft 5in tall, weighs 90 kg and is a robust, physically imposing central defender.

No wonder that the 26-year old is being linked to several top clubs all over Europe including the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea. Koulibaly is already one of the top defenders in Europe and a big move at some point will further increase his standing in the footballing world.

8) George Weah

George Weah of AC Milan
George Weah of AC Milan

Weah is the 25th and current President of Liberia. Before entering politics, Weah was a professional footballer who played as a striker for some of Europe’s best clubs.

He is the only African player to win the Ballon d'Or and FIFA world player of the year. He was crowned the winner of that award in 1995 while playing for AC Milan winning multiple trophies as well.

He never played at a World Cup. He came close to making an appearance but was one point short of qualifying for the 2002 tournament. He did everything in his power to help his financially limited country from funds to even coaching the team.

Weah was a fast, strong and clinical striker and rarely missed games due to injury at his peak. He later played with Al-Jazira in the UAE Gulf League, where he remained until his retirement as a player in 2003, at the age of 37.

7) Wilfred Ndidi

Nigeria v Argentina: Group D - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Nigeria v Argentina: Group D - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Ndidi has grown to become one of the most respected defensive midfielders in the English Premier League since joining from Belgian side Genk. He is currently the 2nd most valuable African player in the Premier League according to CIES.

He is usually a real threat to the oppositions. He combines his physical skill with the ability to be a threat from long range and has also been relatively injury free throughout his young career.

Ndidi has grown to become a force in the midfield as he won most tackles in EPL in his first full season at the club. I guess Leicester finally found their replacement for Kante

He was also named the Foxes young player of the year last season as he played in 33 games and was only subbed off. He played for a total of 2899 minutes, putting him at the top end of that list.

6) Roger Milla

Roger Milla of Cameroon
Roger Milla of Cameroon

Milla is probably best known for his exploits at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, his dance at the corner flag against Colombia has gone down in history as an all-time classic.

At the age of 38, he was the star of the tournament and four goals as Cameroon became the first African side to reach a World Cup quarter-final.

Born in Yaounde, Milla began his career with Eclair Douala and played for many different clubs at home and abroad in France with great success.

Four years later, at the age of 42, he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history by scoring against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Staying relatively injury free and keeping a healthy lifestyle allowed Milla to extend his career to that age.

5) George Elokobi

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton - Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton - Premier League

Elokobi was born in Cameroon and moved to England at the age of 16 after his mother finished her studies and found work in the United Kingdom.

Elokobi studied business in college while playing for non- league side Dulwich Hamlet and worked his way up the footballing pyramid.

He eventually received his big break when he was signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008 and was a starter for the club until his departure in 2014.

He is known for his intense gym workouts and his muscular frame for a professional footballer turning him into a cult hero, he once battled with a brick wall and managed to win.

4) Didier Drogba

FC Bayern Muenchen v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Final
FC Bayern Muenchen v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League Final

The Ivorian struggled to win over fans due to poor performances at the beginning of his Chelsea career after signing from OM in 2004.

But by the time it was all said and done, the striker had scored 157 goals in 341 games and is, now, regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever players. After returning to West London in 2014, Drogba added a fourth Premier League title to a collection that also includes four FA Cups, three League Cups and the Champions League.

Drogba goes down as a big-game player who changed the way strikers of his type were thought of and that is due to his commitment to training and lean muscular body which made sure he was a handful for opposing defenders.

3) Idrissa Gueye

AFC Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League
AFC Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League

Since joining Everton, Idrissa Gueye has turned into one of the Premier League’s best defensive midfielders. The midfielder has quickly established himself as one of Everton's most important players and won most tackles in the 16-17 Premier League season.

He has only missed 10 games in 3 Premier League seasons.

2) Naby Keita

Bury v Liverpool - Pre-Season Friendly
Guinean midfielder Keita joined Liverpool FC

Keita joined Liverpool FC this summer from Red Bull Leipzig in a £48 million move. Before joining Liverpool, Keita established himself as one of the best players in the Bundesliga helping newly promoted club Leipzig finish as Bundesliga runners-up in his first season at the club.

Keita is described as a dynamic, box-to-box central midfielder. He is also able to distribute the ball with range and accuracy, score goals frequently but has been criticized as times for his lack of discipline.

Keita is the perfect player for Juergen Klopp’s high-intensity system and he will be able to count on the player throughout the season as he is a very fit player showing this on multiple occasions throughout his career so far.

1) Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang

Arsenal v Burnley - Premier League
Arsenal v Burnley - Premier League

Aubameyang is one of the fastest players in the world and a lethal striker. He reached the top speed of 34.99 km/h while at Arsenal this past season.

After an ill-fated spell with AC Milan, the Gabonese international finally showed his true potential at St.Etienne, winning the Ligue 1 African player of the year award for his performances that season.

He developed his game under the guidance of Juergen Klopp and finished at the top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts in 2016 ahead of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.

Aubameyang has already shown his fitness is top notch during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Singapore, he managed a distance of 7m/97cm (which is a club record) in the one-legged triple jump test.

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Edited by Mayank Vora