Didier Drogba: The Household Name of African Football

Without the slightest of doubts, Didier Drogba is one of the most famous faces of African football. Just by walking anywhere in Africa, you are sure to meet posters and replica jerseys full of Drogba's name. Born in 1978 in Abidjan Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba is a professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of Ivory Coast and is famous for his playing days with Chelsea in England. Having spent most of his time in France, Drogba started his playing career with a semi-professional club Levallois before signing for Ligue 2 side Le Mans in France.

Even though his early times at Le Mans were not all that successful, Drogba signed for Guingamp from Le Mans for 80000 pounds and helped his new club avoid relegation by scoring 3 goals in 11 appearances. In his second season at Guingamp, Drogba scored 17 goals in 34 appearances helping the club to finish seventh in the French top flight, a record finish for the club. His impressive performances and professional attitude earned him a move to Olympique Marseille for a fee slightly above 3 million pounds. In his first season at Marseille, Drogba was so impressive during the season that he won the professional players' award, an award given by fellow professional colleagues. His performances in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League where he scored more than ten goals attracted the attention of top European clubs including Chelsea, who signed him for a then club-record fee of 24 million pounds in 2004.

Chelsea Career

Having attracted an astronomical fee at the time, Drogba was always scrutinized for his performances, which in the first season were below par. Nevertheless, Drogba finished the season with 16 goals, a premiership trophy and a league cup medal. His subsequent seasons proved even more successful in his 8 years at Chelsea that ensured that he cemented his legendary place not only at Chelsea Football Club but also in the English Premier League. Some of his highlights with Chelsea were his amazing and unforgettable goals against Barcelona, Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Drogba is famous for his marauding runs and his energy play, especially in the air and is well-known to have given some of the biggest defenders numerous problems. His place among the legends at Chelsea was cemented when he won the UEFA Champions League with the club in 2012 having scored a late equalizer before scoring the winning penalty.

After leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2012, Drogba had stints in China with Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray in Turkey before returning to Chelsea for another season. In his career with Chelsea, Drogba won 4 premier league trophies, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and three league cups. In terms of national duty with Ivory Coast, Drogba represented Ivory Coast in 3 world cups and 6 African Nations Cup. He was the captain until his retirement from the national team and will be remembered as the scorer of the nation's first-ever goal at a World Cup.

Described as a late bloomer in football terms, Didier Drogba was known for his prolific goal-scoring instincts during his heydays. His physical strength and power in the air was always a challenge to opposing players. His passion for the game is still unwavering and is one of the living legends of African football.

George Weah: The Greatest African Footballer of All Time

It is not just by words or writings, but by actions and achievements, George Weah, born 01/10/1966 was and still is the greatest African Footballer of all time. He is the only African footballer to have become world player of the year. True to his title of the greatest African footballer of all time, George Weah began his footballing career in his native Liberia in the 1980s. He was spotted and brought to Europe in 1988 by the then Monaco manager Arsene Wenger. This was after starring for his local Liberian side where he won the Liberian Premier League and the Liberian Cup. His successful career at Monaco under Arsene Wenger led to the club winning the French Cup in 1991, as well as European Cup Winners' Cup in 1992.

It was his successful spell in Monaco that led to a move to Olympique Marseille where he won the French league crown and helping the club to a semi-final place in the UEFA Champions League where Weah is fondly remembered for his skilful and solo wonder goal against Bayern Munich in the group stages of the competition. Weah's performances in the UEFA Champions League earned him a move to the then European giants AC Milan, a club where Weah enjoyed his most successful stints as a football player. Weah helped his new club to two Italian League titles, but his new club did not repeat their earlier success in Europe. His performances in his first season at Milan, especially his goal-scoring prowess ensured that he was named the European Player of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year becoming the first and only African native player to ever win these coveted awards. In fact, he was the fifth player in the world to have placed his hands on the FIFA award. One of the highlights of his career at Milan was his amazing solo effort during a league match against Verona where he covered the length of an entire football field to score a wonderful solo goal. Having received the ball just at the edge of his team's penalty box, George Weah started a marauding run, passing over seven opposing players before scoring arguably the best goal of his career.

Stints in England

The now ageing player left AC Milan in 2000 to join Chelsea in England where he won the FA Cup before moving to Manchester City and then again to Olympique Marseille. After a short spell at Marseille, Weah moved to the Middle East with Al Jazira in the UAE where he played his last games until his retirement in 2003. Despite all the successes at club level, Weah was not able to emulate his club performances with the Liberian national team as he was always surrounded by mediocre players. He was, however, always committed to the national team and would always captain, coach and finance the team in all their footballing activities. Nevertheless, he did help the national team to qualify for two editions of the Africa Nations Cup where they were both eliminated in the group stages.

Having been an African player of the year on three occasions, European Player of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah was voted as the African Player of the century by sportswriters all over the world; thus elevating him to the calibre of the Brazilian legend Pele and Johan Cruyff of Holland. 

Michael Essien: The Bison

Widely known for his tough tackling, physical presence, strength and skills on the ball, Michael Essien is one of the most famous names of African football. Born on December 3, 1982, Accra, Ghana; Essien is a professional footballer and one of the midfield powerhouses of the game. He began his footballing career at Liberty Professionals in his native Ghana and represented the nation at the FIFA Under-17 world cup in 1999 where he became prominent for his passing abilities; thus ensuring that football powerhouses such as Manchester United took notice. A deal with Manchester United in 2000 fell through due to work permit issues, thereby allowing Essien to sign for his first club in Europe, Bastia in France.

As a newcomer in the team, Essien did not command a starting place in the team until his second season at the club when he became an undisputed starter. His tenacious role in the Bastia midfield drew interest and Essien was now being courted by some of the biggest names in France including Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Lyon. Essien chose Lyon over PSG and moved to the club for over 7.8 million Euros. With the combination of some of the greatest footballers in France at the time such as Juninho, Mahamadou Diarra and Edmilson, Essien became a force to reckon with as a powerful box-to-box player and helped his new club to two French titles before earning a move to Chelsea in England.

Successful Years in England

By moving to Chelsea in the summer of 2005, Michael Essien became the most expensive African player at the time having commanded a fee close to 25 million pounds. Even though his move to Chelsea was courted with controversy, Essien's stint at his new club began on a high note due to his explosive runs from the middle and his hard tackling nature. His spell at Chelsea was obviously successful as he mixed with some other big names of African football including Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel, Geremi Njitap, and Salomon Kalou among others. He won almost every trophy that there was to win with Chelsea while cementing his place as a fans' favourite due to his commitment to the team. Some of his highlights during his Chelsea career were his most special goal against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, which will always remain to be special to any Chelsea fan. His other amazing goals such as the one against FC Barcelona in 2009 are among his undisputed best.

On a sad note, Essien's career has always been littered by injury problems, especially on the knee. It is these injuries that hindered many more years of success, even though he earned a loan move to European giants Real Madrid and AC Milan before switching to Panathinaikos of Greece. It was these numerous injury problems that hindered his appearances in the national team. He, however, did represent them in the FIFA world cup in 2006 and in the Africa Nations Cup in 2008, as well as in 2014 FIFA world cup, albeit missing other numerous international matches.

Known for his unkempt look, constant smile and combative style of play, Michael Essien is folklore in the annals of the greatest African footballers to have graced the European stage.

Roger Milla: The Powerful Emblem of African Football

Some twenty-five years ago before Italia 90, Africa's national teams were always and probably rightly, considered minnows. As a football follower, you perhaps have heard of certain African teams being walloped 7-0 by their European counterparts in world cup matches. However, this changed in Italia 90, largely due to one 38-year-old striker by the name Roger Milla. As a striker, the little known Roger Milla became the light in a Cameroon national team considered minnows before the tournament began. It was his goals against some of the biggest names of football and his amazing dances at the flag posts that had everyone talking about Cameroon and African football in general. Without doubt, Roger Milla ultimately became the emblem of African football and changed the way Africa national teams were viewed.

Born in 1952, Roger Milla had the opportunity of representing Cameroon national team in three FIFA world cups. Even though Roger Milla was not identified with bigger clubs in European football, his heroics of two goals against Colombia in the last 16 and his amazing dances at the flag post changed the way the African players were being viewed by elite clubs in Europe. After coming on as a substitute with Cameroon trailing one-nil to Colombia in the last 16, Roger Milla went on to score two goals to send Cameroon to the last eight and being the first African team to reach the quarter-finals. Having scored four goals in the tournament, Roger Milla's dance at the flag post became a sensation and was a joyous way of communication through body language and a powerful way of celebrating goals.

Having started his football career in Yaoundé Cameroon, Roger Milla was lured to Europe with a host of clubs in the French league with Valenciennes, Monaco, Bastia, Saint Etienne and Montpellier. He, however, achieved success at Saint Etienne and Montpellier before moving back to Africa. Despite lack of success at club level, Roger Milla was perfectly created for the big stage with the national team. He started his career with the Cameroon national team in 1973 and represented the team in 1982 FIFA World Cup, as well as at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Roger Milla had retired from the national team in 1987 but was later persuaded by Cameroon president Paul Biya to represent the team in Italia 90. After starring in 1990, Roger Milla got another opportunity to represent Cameroon at the 1994 world cup tournament. At 42 years, he became the oldest player at the time, and in fact, the oldest goalscorer at any world cup tournament. Roger Milla retired later that year with his last match being against South Africa.

Even though Roger Milla did not achieve financial success that current African players receive while playing their football in Europe, he truly remained one of the biggest names that are associated with Italia 90 with others including England's Paul Gascoigne and Italy's Toto Schillaci. His sensational scoring prowess and amazing dance moves might have not changed his stature financially, perhaps, because of his twilight age in football terms, but he became a true African football icon, something that no amount of money can buy.

Asec Mimosas: The Talent Hub of Africa

So far, there is no other African club that has produced and exported some of the greatest names of African football than Asec Mimosas. Without a doubt, the backbone of the Ivory Coast national team, which is arguably the best current national team in Africa, is full of players who passed through the Asec Mimosas academy. Some of the greatest names such as: Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Didier Zokora and Bonaventure Kalou among many others has been produced by Asec Mimosas. Based in Abidjan Ivory Coast, Asec Mimosas was formed in 1948 almost by foreigners who were from France, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Lebanon and Ghana. The earliest idea behind the formation of this club, which is also famous for its bright black and yellow jersey, was to let children play and have fun. To the wish of its early founders, Asec Mimosas has let children of the dirty streets of Abidjan play, have fun and dream of changing their lives and those of their relatives. Despite being based in a war-torn country, Asec Mimosas has been one pride of a country that is madly in love with football.

True to its philosophy of letting children have fun by playing football, Asec Mimosas won its first national title in 1960. This taste of success later turned into reality in the early 70s when the club won 5 national titles out of a possible six. This unheard-of success was followed by its demise from the football map, but this was duly rectified in the early 90s when the club recaptured its former glory. This coincided by success to the national team, which won the African nations cup in 1992 with the backbone of the team coming from Asec Mimosas. Later in 1998, Asec Mimosas tasted success in the continental level by winning the CAF champions league for the first time in the club's history. This triumph on the continental stage, opened ways for the club to start exporting some of the most respected game players in the continent. This was followed by many years of success, especially at the turn of the millennium when the club won the national title, a record seven times in a row between 2000 and 2006.

Given its nature of producing the best raw talent from Africa, Asec Mimosas has for long acted as a feeder team for various clubs in Europe. This began when the club's former coach and former French national player Jean-Marc Guillou left the club in 2001 to join K.S.K Beveren in Belgium. Many of the most talented young players of Asec Mimosas joined him in this venture and gave the club, as well as Beveren the chance of showcasing these amazing talents in Europe. However, when Guillou parted ways with Beveren in 2006, Asec Mimosas informally partnered with Charlton Athletic in England as its feeder club.

As a football club, Asec Mimosas has been referred to as the crown jewel of African football. This is at the backdrop of the fact that it is the only club in Africa that has produced many African international players plying their trade in some of the biggest clubs in Europe than any other.

Supersport United: The Trendsetter of South African Football

Being one of the clubs formed immediately after the end of apartheid, Supersport United takes pride in being identified as one of the youngest football clubs in the country that is in the forefront in setting trends both in terms of winning trophies, as well as various innovations that are utterly great for the development of the beautiful game of football. Historically, Supersport United was originally known as Pretoria City. However, the name was changed to Supersport United in 1994 when M-Net won the rights of buying the club as a franchise; thus changing its name. 

Based in Pretoria, Supersport United takes considerable pride in being closely related to Supersport, which is one of the biggest and most respected digital media companies not only in African but in the whole world. This has not only provided the club with stable financial support but has ensured that the club has one of the best training facilities in Africa. This, in turn, has enabled the club to establish one of the best football academies in South Africa. This world-class academy is popularly known to have produced some of the best football players currently plying their trade in the South African top-flight. Some of these players include Kamohelo Mokotjo, Daine Klate and Kermit Erasmus, among others. It is the ability of the club to offer the youth a chance of showcasing their talent that has enabled the club, which is known as The Swanky Boys among its fans, to enter into a partnership with both Tottenham Hotspur in England and Feyenoord in the Netherlands as their feeder club. 

Even though the club does not command massive following like its local rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, Supersport United is perfectly structured and managed to mix it with the big boys at the highest level. This was clearly evident when the club that every Pretorian is proud of, won the premier soccer league title three times in a row between 2008 and 2010. In the club's twenty years of existence, the club has won ten national trophies, which translate to at least one trophy in every two years, a feat that perfectly goes with the vision of the club of becoming one of the greatest clubs not only in South Africa, but also in Africa by 2030.

In terms of doing business, Supersport United is known as one of the best-run football clubs in South Africa, from a business and financial perspective. This is at the backdrop of the fact that the club has always been able to attract some of the biggest brands as its sponsors. For instance, the club has been sponsored by Supersport limited (a company well-known for its digital coverage), Engen (is one of the biggest energy companies in the world), as well as Kappa the renown Italian sports manufacturer. In this regard, Supersport United has also been able to attract some of the biggest names in world football as its coaches. The most notable coach of Supersport is Bruce Grobbelaar, the legendary goalkeeper of the fantastic Liverpool side of The 1980s who coached the team for almost a decade in the 1990s.

If the current trend goes on, then Supersport United is sure to achieve its vision of being the biggest South African club by 2030.

Al Merreikh: The Mars

For over a century of its existence, Al Merreikh which means Mars in Arabic is one of the two most successful clubs not only in the horn of Africa, but also in the entire continent. Based in Omdurman in Sudan, Al Merreikh is one of the oldest clubs in the continent having been founded in 1908. It plays its home matches at their famous Al-Merreikh stadium or the Red A castle as it is often referred to by the adoring supporters of the club. Their football rivalry with another local side Al Hilal is one of the most tense and highly contested fixtures in every footballing calendar. Without any slight doubt, it becomes difficult to say the best club between the two, thereby adding even more flavour to this intensive derby. In the Sudanese football league, it has always been between Al Merreikh and Al Hilal. This kind of competition has enabled Al Merreikh to stay in the best possible footballing condition, thereby winning the national league 19 times and the Sudanese cup 24 times.

Being one of the most financially stable clubs in Africa, Al Merreikh is well-known for employing many football talents in Africa. This has led to a diverse culture in the club and in a country that strongly follows Islam as a religion. With many players coming from different backgrounds, Al Merreikh has provided the perfect ground and atmosphere for these players to ply their trade. It has imported talents not only from Africa but also from Asia as well as from the Americas.

As a club, Al Merreikh is known for having had numerous presidents in its history. In most cases, these presidents are often seen as the main leaders of the club and offer leadership in every sense and department of the club. Even though some the club's presidents have been honorary players, most of the club's presidents are elected by the club's registered members. One of the club's most famous presidents is without a doubt, Abdulrahman Shakhour who has contributed massively to the growth of the club. In one of his massive contributions to the club, Abdulrahman contributed the land in which the club's stadium is built.

In terms of managers, Al Merreikh has been a club that has arguably employed diverse coaches from more than ten countries in the world. This is something, which is not common in African football, especially within clubs. Al Merreikh has been managed by coaches from Germany, Brazil, Egypt, Sudan and France among others. This is one of the marketing and publicity strategies that Al Merreikh has been using to enhance its profile in the world of football. Perhaps, the club has resorted to such strategies because they have not tasted much success in the continental stage. However, they did come close to winning CAF champions league in 2007 before losing to eventual winners. They did win once in the continental stage back in 1989 when they lifted that Africa cup winners cup.

By looking at Al Merreikh's history, it is easy to notice that it is one of the most organized clubs in Africa. This has ensured that it is one of the biggest clubs not only in Sudan but also in the horn of Africa.

Asante Kotoko: Kill a Thousand and a Thousand More will come

Asante Kotoko is one of the football clubs that are very popular for its highly passionate fans. It is a club that has so many adoring fans that are for eternity known to be ready to do anything for the club. In fact, that is the main idea behind the club's motto, which states in a local dialect that; kill a thousand and a thousand more will come. Based in Kumasi in the kingdom of Ashanti, Asante Kotoko is a Ghanaian football club that was formed by thirteen young and ambitious men who were thrilled by the game. This interest in football that led to the formation of Asante Kotoko came to be after Kwasi Kuma, one of the young thirteen men, watched a football match between Hearts of Oak and Accra Standfast. It was after this match that he shared the idea with his other twelve friends and led to the formation of arguably one of the most successful clubs in Ghana and Africa.

After the formation of the club in 1924 originally as Kumasi Rainbow, it took close to a decade for the club to fully hit high gears when it changed its name Asante Kotoko. This important event in the history of the club happened in 1935 after special permission was received from the then king of the Ashanti kingdom, his right honourable Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II. It was then that Asante Kotoko was formally inaugurated in the presence of the chiefs of the kingdom and officially accepted as the club of the kingdom and its people.

The Club's National and Kingdom Interests

As a club that is based in a kingdom within a national government, Asante Kotoko has two interests both in the kingdom and in the nation. To keep both sets of interests at par, the club has over time decided to incorporate both the colours of the national and the kingdom flags into its jersey. In footballing terms, it is something close to what F.C Barcelona is to the province of Catalan and to the nation of Spain. The remarkable and highly threatening porcupine in the club's logo signifies the kingdom's traditional roots and the passion that the club's fans bring to the club's matches.

Known for playing its matches in Kumasi, which is the capital of Ashanti instead of playing in Accra the capital city of Ghana, Asante Kotoko is the biggest club in the country and the sixth biggest club in Africa with a reported over 10 million supporters across the world. It is this kind of support and other financial support that the club receives from the kingdom of Ashanti that has guaranteed continuous success. Since its inauguration, the club has become Ghanaian champions a record 24 times, have been FA cup champions 8 times and have conquered the CAF champions league twice while being runners up four times.

In terms of producing some of the best African footballers, Asante Kotoko academy is known for producing some of the greatest African names in the game. A perfect reference must be Anthony Yeboah who is remembered vividly for his wonder goal during his time with Leeds United. Another great export from Asante Kotoko is Samuel Kuffuor the former Bayern Munich defender.

Mohammed Aboutrika: Best Football Player who did not Play in Europe or South America

Born in 1978, Mohammed Aboutrika was an Egyptian professional football player widely known for his role as a second striker both with Al Ahly and the Egyptian national team. For some football purists, Mohammed Aboutrika was arguably the best football player not to have spent any of his playing days either in Europe or in South America. His career is full of achievements and titles that would make some of the best footballers in the world to blush with embarrassment. Coming into the Egyptian league in 2003 with Tersana, Aboutrika became an instant sensation in the league, a feat that earned him a move to the club of the century, Al Ahly in January 2004. At his new club, Aboutrika scored 11 goals in just over 13 appearances and was the second top scorer in the Egyptian league with 14 goals, thereby attracting the attention of the Egyptian national team.

Starting his debut for the national team later that year, Aboutrika scored his first 5 goals in 6 matches and proved to be lethal while playing just behind the main striker, a position he preferred to play in. With success in the national team, Aboutrika helped his club, Al Ahly to a second successive league championship and was the third-highest goal scorer in the league, while helping his teammate Emad Moteab to the golden boot. It was also in 2005 that Aboutrika showed his footballing prowess at the continental level where he scored an amazing 30-yard goal in the final against Etoile du Sahel in the CAF Champions League. 

Aboutrika’s great career continued to shine in 2006, especially with the national team where he helped his host nation to an Africa Cup glory by scoring two crucial goals against both Libya and Ivory Coast. To add flare to an already successful year, Aboutrika helped Al Ahly to its second successive CAF Champions League trophy and was the top scorer in the tournament with 8 goals, the last one being a 92nd match-winner in the final against CS Sfaxien. He also helped his club to another league title, Egypt Cup, CAF Super Cup and was said to be one of the players to watch in FIFA club world cup tournament in Japan. Being the first club to ever go to two successive FIFA club world cups, Al Ahly through the help of Mohammed Aboutrika won the bronze and lost only one match the entire season. As a superbly gifted player, Aboutrika was at the heart of his team's every move and controlled the pace of the game at his own wish.

His first nomination for the African Player of the Year was a dream come true for the decorated Egyptian player, even though he finished second. He was lauded as the best African Player playing in Africa, and this was evident as he helped his club to a third successive league title. This was again followed by another Africa Nations Cup triumph in 2008, as well as the BBC African Player of the Year award. Aboutrika's prowess continued with some mesmeric displays at the Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009, as well as his seventh CAF Champions League medal.

In terms of African football, Mohammed Aboutrika was one of the greatest names and was always a glaring light in continental football. The only blight in his bright career is that he never had the chance to appear at the finals of FIFA World Cup with the national team. The reason, they always fell short in qualification. 

Abedi Pele: Pioneer of African Football in Europe

Through sheer will, determination and hard work, Abedi Ayew, widely known as Abedi Pele, became one of the pioneer African names in European football at a time when having African footballers plying their trade in Europe was utterly unimaginable. Born in Accra Ghana in 1964, Abedi Pele began his career in native Ghana and was part of the Ghana national squad that lifted the Africa nations’ cup in 1982. Soon after this glory, Abedi Pele embarked on a football journey that would take him to the Middle East, then to Europe, back to Africa before maturing into a great player and achieving more success with various European football clubs.

Abedi Pele signed for Qatari side Al Sadd immediately after nations’ cup glory in 1982. As fate had it, he spent a few months in Qatar before moving to Switzerland with FC Zurich. He, however, did not stay long in Zurich and soon moved back to Ghana where the country's big clubs, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak failed to sign him. He instead signed for a club in Benin before again coming back to Ghana and spending another season with Real Tamale United. As if it had been destiny, Abedi Pele began his second stint in Europe in what became known as his long association with French football clubs. This association began at the lowly Chamois Niort before signing for bigger clubs in the French league including Montpellier, SC Lille, Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon. He also had a short stint with Torino in Italy, as well as 1860 Munchen before going back to the Middle East with Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.

At the club level, his most famous and successful stint came at Olympique Marseille, where he helped the club to the UEFA Champions League in 1993 by defeating European giants AC Milan in the final. This was a special season to Abedi Pele as he won almost every award that there was to win. He was one of the first African players to be nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year Award, he won the inaugural BBC African sportsperson of the Year award in 1992, he was voted man of the match at the UEFA Champions League final, he won the France Football Magazine African Player of the Year award, as well as the golden ball as the best player at the 1992 Africa nations cup among other awards.

Having captained the Ghanaian national team for 6 years between 1992 and 1998, Abedi Pele is still rightly considered as the best footballer that Ghana has ever produced. He was, until recently, the country's all-time goal scorer, a record surpassed by former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan. His involvement in the Africa nations’ cup with Ghana through the 1980s to the 1990s always attracted attention to the tournament. Even though he never played in any FIFA World Cup finals with Ghana, he was the dominant name of African football for more than a decade.

Abedi Pele's four league titles and a UEFA Champions League medal with Olympique Marseille proved to be a phenomenon to any African footballer at the time. His superb dribbling skills, an eye for crucial and amazing goals, as well as his commitment to the team's cause, acted as a platform that subsequent African players could launch their careers in European football. 

Samuel Kuffour: The Best Defender out of Africa

When it comes to tasting both success and failure in equal measures, there is no other African footballer that can beat Samuel Osei Kuffour to the award. Born in Kumasi Ghana in 1976, Kuffour started his career in his early teens, an occurrence that is not familiar in African football. At the age of 16, he had already tasted numerous successes with the youth side of Ghana and by the age of 15, he was already plying his trade in Europe by Torino in Italy. He did appear at one FIFA world cup with the national team and four Africa nations cup, before hanging his playing boots in 2009.

Even though it was Torino that brought Samuel Kuffour to the big European stage, he had his breakthrough at Bayern Munich and won close to 17 titles during his stint with the Bavarians. It was at Bayern Munich that Samuel Kuffour came to world attention as the marauding and physically powerful right back who was always ready to put his life in the line for the team's success. This was no more evident than in 1999 when Bayern Munich lost to Manchester United at the UEFA Champions League final with two late and devastating goals. Remaining as one of the most memorable and heartbreaking moments in European football, Samuel Kuffour was filmed thumping his fists to the ground in anger and frustration and cried uncontrollably at losing, a feat that endeared him to the fans of Bayern Munich. Despite the heartbreak of 1999, Samuel Kuffour helped his team to the UEFA Champions League glory two seasons later in 2001. Having made his debut for Bayern Munich in 1993, Kuffour became the youngest defender of all time to score in a champions league match. He also appeared in 60 UEFA matches, thereby becoming the most decorated African player in the UEFA Champion League.

After 11 seasons at Bayern Munich, Samuel Kuffour won 17 major titles, 6 of them being the Bundesliga title. With the German club failing to renew his contract in 2005, Kuffour signed for Italian side AS Roma, made a few appearances for his new club before being loaned to another Italian side Livorno. This was followed with other unsuccessful stints in Holland, Russia and his native Ghana before hanging his boots.

Samuel Kuffour is known as one of the few African footballers to have started their career in their teens. At the age of 13, he was already in the Ghana squad that won the under 17 FIFA World Cup in 1991. He also won silver at the same championship in 1993, as well as becoming the runners up to Brazil at the under 20 FIFA World Cup that very year. As far as Olympic football is concerned, Samuel Kuffour won the bronze medal as a 16-year-old during the 1992 summer Olympics and reached the quarter-finals again in 1996. As a member of the senior squad, Samuel Kuffour represented Ghana in 4 Africa nations cup and at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he was dropped from the first team after a costly mistake in Ghana's first world cup match against Italy.

Yaya Toure: The Famous Midfielder from Ivory Coast

Yaya Toure is one of the best professional footballers from Ivory Coast in West Africa. He was born on 13/05/1983. Yaya plies his trade for English giants Manchester City, as well as the national team of Ivory Coast. As a youngster, Yaya Toure, who is the brother to Kolo Toure, aspired to become a great striker. However, as fate had it, Yaya has played both as a centre back and a midfielder during his career. His gigantic posture and combative style of play have elevated Yaya to be one of the best known box-to-box players and often changes from a defensive player to an attacking player throughout an entire match.

Early in his career, Yaya Toure joined Asec Mimosas in his native Ivory Coast in 1996 as a youth player. He made his debut as an 18-year-old before moving to Beveren in Belgium in 2001. It was his performances during his time at Beveren that attracted the attention of other elite European clubs including Arsenal who recruited him for trials in the summer of 2003. Even though Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger recognized Yaya's talent at the time, he could not sign the then 20-year-old owing to difficulties in obtaining a work permit, and also down to the fact that Yaya had not identified and cemented his best playing position. After failing at the chance of joining his elder brother, Kolo Toure, at Arsenal, Yaya Toure grew impatient and instead signed for Metarluh Donestk in Ukraine where he spent one and a half years. 

Bigger Clubs

After impressing in Ukraine, Yaya Toure earned himself a chance of joining Olympiacos in Greece in 2005 and helped the club to a double in his first season as one of the best performers. His performances in Greece, as well as his appearances for Ivory Coast at the 2006 World Cup helped trigger a move to Monaco in the summer of 2006. After a difficult and controversial start, Yaya picked himself up in the second half of the season to help Monaco, who had been languishing at the relegation zone, to avoid relegation. During this time, Yaya was being monitored by a host of big names in Europe and he signed for F.C Barcelona in the summer of 2007 for 10 million Euros. However, Yaya's career at Barcelona was not as successful as expected as he was often played out of position in defence to accommodate Sergio Busquets as the preferred holding midfielder. Nevertheless, Yaya won more than 10 trophies with the Catalan club in his three years at the club before earning a move to his current club Manchester City in 2010 for a fee of more than 24 million pounds.

Signing for Manchester City enabled Yaya Toure to team up with his elder brother Kolo Toure who had signed for Manchester City from Arsenal a season earlier. In his five seasons at Manchester, Yaya has helped the club to two English Premier League crowns and one FA Cup title. As far as his international career is concerned, Yaya Toure is the captain of the talented Ivory Coast squad, a role he took after the retirement of the legendary Didier Drogba. He has represented Ivory Coast in 3 World Cups and 6 Africa Nations Cup and captained them to the title in the in 2015.