Top 10 Greatest AFCON Strikers of All Time - Ranked

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has seen many players over the years who have set the stage on fire with their dazzling goals and assists, in some of the game's crucial moments. These moments have been etched forever in the hearts of the people of the African continent, who eagerly wait to see their favourite stars compete in this continental tournament.

They haven't been disappointed in the past, as players like Samuel Eto'o, Laurent Pokou, Rashidi Yekini, and Didier Drogba, among many others, have illuminated the tournament with dazzling finishes and even more impressive celebrations, which capture the essence of the footballing scene on the African continent.

In this article, Sportsdunia will take you on a tour of some of the greatest AFCON strikers who have etched their names in the history books of the tournament through exceptional performances and have brought pride and glory not only to their respective countries but also to Africa as a whole.

List of the Greatest Strikers in AFCON History

The recent edition of AFCON has just started, and you might be wondering, ‘Who is the greatest striker in AFCON history?’ Well, don't worry. Here is a list of the greatest AFCON strikers of all time, which will give you a clearer idea about which players dominated the African continental tournament.

How did we rank the Greatest AFCON Strikers?

Ranking the Greatest AFCON strikers was a bit tricky, but we have managed to shortlist the top 10 greatest strikers in AFCON history on a few factors. These factors were instrumental in determining the optimal position for the final ten players, following extensive research. Let's find out all the factors that need to be considered to find the Greatest AFCON strikers.

• Goals Scored in AFCON: The primary task of a striker is to score as many goals for his team, which will ultimately be the deciding factor in a match. The number of goals scored by a player shows us how well he has fared when the stakes are high.
• Impact in AFCON: Apart from goals and assists, the impact a striker has on an overall match or tournament is quite crucial. The mere presence of strikers in a box can inject fear into the opposition defence, which makes it essential to choose impact as an important factor.
• Consistency: A consistent player who has always delivered when his team needed him for prolonged years, definitely puts him above the rest.
• AFCON Titles Won: Last but not least, the no. of titles won by a player speaks about the quality he brought into his team, which in turn helped them to go on to lift the trophy.

NOTE: All the players' statistics and individual performance metrics are taken from Sportsdunia and Transfermrkt.

Who is the Greatest Striker in AFCON History?

We have the final list of the 10 players who are the greatest AFCON strikers of all time. Further, we will see how the players have performed in the African continental tournament over the years and what their contribution was to their teams' success.

10. Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia)

Kalusha Bwalya was one of the most prolific strikers from Zambia. He was one of those players who dared the Zambia national football team to dream big, giving neck-to-neck competition to the heavyweights of the continent. Bwalya has featured in 23 games for Zambia, scoring 10 goals and bagging four assists in the process.

The forward has captained the Zambia national football team in three AFCON editions, 1992, 1994, and again in 1998. Zambia's best-ever finish came under him, as they finished runners-up to Nigeria in 1994, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

9. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

Drogba was arguably one of the best African footballers to ever grace the game. He stepped up on all the right occasions, which made him more dangerous as a striker. Didier Drogba first featured in the 2006 AFCON and almost led his team to glory, but lost to Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the Final.

With 11 goals and five assists in 23 games, the Chelsea legend remains one of the most influential figures for the Ivory Coast in AFCON. The former Chelsea player was the top scorer of the 2012 edition with 3 goals, but faced another heartbreak in the finals as the Ivory Coast lost to Zambia on penalties (8-7). He captained his nation to a total of five AFCON tournaments, making it through to the semifinals on numerous occasions. However, this continental silverware has always eluded him.

8. Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast)

Another Ivory Coast legend, Laurent Pokou, was one of the finest strikers to emerge from the nation. The striker scored 14 goals in just 13 AFCON appearances, with five coming in a single game in 1970, against Ethiopia in the Group Stages.

He still holds the record for most goals scored by a single player in a match in AFCON history. Despite his goalscoring attributes, he could only help Ivory Coast to a semifinal finish in 1970, as they lost to Ghana by a margin of 1-2 in added extra time. Laurent Pokou is second in the list of most goals scored by a player in a single AFCON edition, bagging 8 goals in 1970.

7. Hassan El-Shazly (Egypt)

In the early years, a certain Hassan El-Shazly carried the Egypt national football team in important tournaments, and the AFCON was no exception. He holds the record of most goals scored by an Egyptian in a single AFCON edition, as he bagged six goals, including a hat-trick in 1963.

In 1970, he scored five goals, with another hat-trick against the same opponent, Nigeria. However, he couldn't take his team past the semifinals stage as they lost to Sudan and Zaire (now DR Congo) in 1970 and 1974, respectively. The 1974 one was his last AFCON, where he featured in only one Group Stage game against the Ivory Coast, but didn't forget to register his name on the scoresheet.

6. Ndaye Mulamba (DR Congo/Zaire)

Ndaye Mulamba remains an inspirational figure in the history of the DR Congo national football team, as he played a crucial part in their only AFCON-winning campaign in 1974. Known as Zaire at that time, Mulamba was the top scorer of the tournament and helped his nation achieve their only major silverware to date.

The Congolese boasts of the record of the most goals scored by a player in a single edition, as he bagged 9 goals in the 1974 edition, with a brace even in the final against Zambia. Interestingly, a final decider had to be played as the original finale ended in a 2-2 draw between the two teams, where Mulamba scored the two goals for his country. The striker has performed enough for his country in just two AFCON tournament appearances, which places him this high in the list.

5. Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria)

The Super Eagles have produced a lot of world-beaters over the years, and one of them was Rashidi Yekini. Yekini, one of the best Nigerian players, was an embodiment of a classic no. 9, possessing tremendous strength and exceptional finishing skills.

He didn't feature in the final of his first AFCON tournament, where the Nigeria national football team lost to Cameroon 3-1. It remains the only game he didn't feature in the 1984 edition. His team failed to win again in 1988 as the Super Eagles lost to Cameroon for the second time running. It was in 1994 when Yekini finally tasted success, as Nigeria defeated Zambia in the final by a 2-1 scoreline. The forward finished as the top scorer in that edition, which makes him an inductee in the list of the Greatest AFCON strikers.

4. Patrick Mboma (Cameroon)

Patrick Mboma was one of the key figures in Cameroon's golden generation of players. In his second AFCON tournament, he lifted the continental trophy, scoring 4 and assisting 2 in the 2000 edition. He even scored in the final against Nigeria, before the Super Eagles scored twice to send the game into extra time.

Mboma finished as the top scorer in that edition, before repeating the feat in 2002. Cameroon did win it again two years later, but the striker was left out of the Cameroon squad for the semifinals and finals due to disciplinary issues. Despite all these, Mboma remains one of those important players who kick-started a generation of talented Cameroon players to dream big.

3. Roger Milla (Cameroon)

Another starlet from Cameroon, Roger Milla, makes the list of the greatest strikers in AFCON history. Milla played in five editions of the AFCON, winning it twice in 1984 and 1988. He assisted in both of those finals, against the same opponent, which is Nigeria.

Roger Milla was adjudged the player of the tournament in 1986, where he finished as the top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals. He was the top scorer in the 1988 edition too with two goals, but couldn't help his team to cross the finishing line as Cameroon lost to Egypt on penalties (5-4) in the final.

2. Hossam Hassan (Egypt)

Before Mohamed Salah, Egypt had another star in their ranks, named Hossam Hassan. The Egyptian has featured in seven different AFCON editions, scoring 11 times and bagging 3 assists. He played just one match in his maiden AFCON campaign in 1986, which Egypt won by defeating Cameroon in the penalty shootout.

In 1998, Hossam Hassan became the top scorer of the tournament with 7 goals, and captained the side to their 2nd-ever AFCON title, bagging an assist in the final against South Africa. His last AFCON happened to be the 2006 one, where he didn't feature in the first two games and also in the final, quite surprisingly. However, he still managed to assist twice and score once in the tournament, sealing his name as one of the best players of Egypt to have brought continental success.

1. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)

The final man on our list, Samuel Eto'o, has had a very impressive footballing career. He has been quite successful at the club level, winning titles with some of the biggest clubs in world football, namely FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid. Eto'o was equally accomplished for his nation as he won two AFCONS, one in 2000 and another in 2002.

He is the all-time top scorer of AFCON with 18 goals in 29 appearances, spanning across six different editions. In 2000, he scored in each of the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final games, which remains a remarkable feat for any striker in the tournament.

Samuel Eto'o was the scorer of the tournament on two different occasions, first in 2006 and again in 2008. He remains the highest goalscorer in Cameroon's history, and it will be quite tough to match the legacy he has left behind. All these factors make him top our list of the Greatest AFCON strikers.