Top five Africans with most goals in the UEFA Champions League

Many iconic footballers from Africa have scored a lot of goals in the continental showpiece.

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is one of the most iconic tournaments in club football. It is one of the highest honours a European club can win. Qualifying for the tournament itself is extremely tough. A club has to either win their domestic league or finish in the top places to reach the UCL. For a footballer, playing in a reputed tournament is an honour. Scoring a goal in the Champions League is an even bigger and harder feat.

Elite footballers from across the globe have scored goals for their respective European clubs in the UCL. Focusing on footballers from Africa, the continent has produced some of the finest players ever. Players from Africa fight immense odds to reach the top and playing in the UCL is a moment of pride for the whole continent. 

Looking back at the history of the UCL, several top goalscorers have hailed from African countries. Therefore, here is a look at the top five Africans with the most number of goals in the UEFA Champions League:

5. Riyad Mahrez - 16 goals

Riyad Mahrez is arguably the best footballer ever from Algeria. The African nation has produced plenty of top-level footballers in recent years. However, few players from the country come close to competing with the Manchester City winger. 

He has scored 16 goals in the Champions League in 45 appearances. The 31-year-old is yet to win the competition. Having said that, he could end the drought with MCFC in the 2021-22 edition of the tournament.

4. Sadio Mane - 23 goals

Sadio Mane of Liverpool is the fourth highest African goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League. The winger has 23 goals from 53 appearances. He has only represented the Reds in the competition, helping it to the trophy during the 2018-19 season. He laso holds the record of being the joint top-scorer form Africa in the knockout stages of the competition.

The Senegalese international footballer is regarded as an icon back in his country. Mane is popular for doing a lot of welfare work, using his status for the good of the people. The 30-year-old will hope to help LFC to more trophies in the coming years.

3. Samuel Eto'o - 30 goals

Samuel Eto’o is African royalty when it comes to legendary footballers from the continent. He has played for elite European teams like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea among others The forward has 30 goals in 78 appearances during his playing days and is currently working as President of Cameroon football.

The forward has three Champions League titles under his belt. He won the competition twice with FC Barcelona and also a third time with Inter Milan. Eto’o is also a four-time African footballer of the year. 

2. Mohamed Salah - 36 goals

Mohamed Salah is arguably the best African player in modern football, based on statistics. The Egyptian has been in sensational form for the past few seasons for Liverpool FC. He was crucial in guiding the Reds to the Champions League triumph in 2018-19 and the Premier League title in 2019-20. 

He has 36 goals in 69 matches and will look to add more to his tally in the forthcoming games. Salah can become the all-time leading African goalscorer in the Champions League but will have to maintain his present form for a few more years. Salah has won the African POTY award twice.

1. Didier Drogba - 44 goals

Didier Drogba was recently inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The former Ivory Coast international is a legend of the sport and one of the finest footballers from Africa. He holds the record of scoring the most goals in the UEFA Champions League for an African with 44 goals in 92 appearances.

The striker played in the competition for three clubs but his most notable achievement came while representing Chelsea FC. The London-based club became European champions by winning the 2011-12 edition of the competition. That was Drogba’s one and only UCL triumph.

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