It’s time to look back at the early years of African football. Before the 90s, Africa had almost no presence on the big stage. However, that soon changed. In this article, we’ll count down the top 5 Legendary African players at the FIFA World Cup in the early years of African football.
Samuel Eto’o – Cameroon
Samuel Etoo is a legendary African player who has made his mark in the FIFA World Cup. He debuted at 15, making him the youngest player to participate in the World Cup held in France in 1998.
He has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice and was named African Footballer of the Year four times. He’s scored more than 50 goals for Barcelona and Cameroon, and he’s been involved in more than 100 international goals.
El-Hadji Diouf – Senegal
El-Hadji Diouf is one of the most iconic African players of all time. He has had a long and distinguished career with Senegal and is known for his incredible skill and ability to play with flair.
Diouf only played in one World Cup, but he made it count. The Lions of Teranga went to the quarterfinals before losing to Turkey.
In that tournament, Diouf was simply unstoppable. He scored twice and assisted on two more goals as he orchestrated wins over France and Sweden and draws with Denmark and Uruguay (a 3-3 thriller).
Diouf was named to the All-Star XI for his efforts in the tournament. He retired from international football in 2008 after earning 81 caps for Senegal.
Rigobert Song – Cameroon
Rigobert Song is one of the most famous names in African football, and he also played a major role at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Song was born in Yaoundé on October 26, 1974. He started his career with Canon Yaoundé, where he established himself as one of the best defenders in Cameroon. He then went on to play for clubs like Metz and West Ham United before retiring from active football in 2009.
At the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Song was one of the key players for Cameroon as they reached the quarterfinals. Germany knocked them out after losing 2-1 on penalties.
Asamoah Gyan – Ghana
Asamoah Gyan is the leading goal scorer for African players at the FIFA World Cup. The Ghanaian has scored six goals in his career at the world’s biggest sporting event, and he is remembered for his crucial penalty miss that cost his country a place in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
Gyan has been described as a “natural-born” striker by former Black Stars coach Milovan Rajevac. The striker’s first major tournament was in 2006 when he helped Ghana reach their first-ever World Cup quarter-finals.
Roger Milla – Cameroon
Roger Milla is the only player in World Cup history to score a goal at age 42. He was also the first African player to score at least two goals in a single World Cup tournament.
Milla made his international debut for Cameroon at age 17 and played in three World Cups, scoring six goals in six games. At age 37, he became the oldest player to score a goal at the FIFA World Cup when he scored against Colombia in 1994.
