As we continue to look ahead to the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, GBL, in this piece, attempts to refresh your memories about the top scorers in the biggest competition in the land.
AFCON All Time Top Scorers
Egypt’s Raafat Attia is the first-ever player to score in the Africa Cup of Nations and he achieved the feat in 1957 when the Egyptians faced Sudan.
However, who are the AFCON all-time top scorers in the history of the tournament?
Nigeria’s Rashidi Yekini is one man who made an impact in the competition during his active days and is definitely one of the top scorers.
Meanwhile, let’s find out who the top goal scorer in AFCON history is.
African Cup Of Nations All Time Top Scorers – The Top 10
The following players are all time top scorers of AFCON:
(10 goals) Kalusha Bwalya – Zambia
The Zambian great shares this AFCON all time top scorer spot with other players like Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ndaye Mulamba, Ivory Coast’s Joel Tiéhi, Ethiopia’s Mengistu Worku and Tunisia’s Dos Santos.
Bwalya was a force to reckon with as the Chipolopolo finished as runners-up at the 1994 AFCON which was won by Nigeria.
That feat was remarkable because Zambia had tragically lost their entire squad to a devastating plane crash just a year earlier – except for Bwalya who missed the flight due to club commitment.
Following the second place two years earlier, Bwalya exploded at the 1996 tournament held in South Africa where he jointly won the golden boot and was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year in that same year.
(10 goals) Joel Tiéhi – Ivory Coast
Joel made his AFCON debut in 1992 but it was at the 1994 and 1998 editions that he became known for goals.
At those two tournaments, the former Le Havre man scared four times thereby leading the Elephants to a third-place finish in the 1998 competition.
(10 goals) Ndaye Mulamba – DR Congo
When Zaire won the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations, Ndaye Mulamba scored nine goals to make the memorable win a reality.
It was an incredible achievement by Mulamba as he won both the player of the tournament award and the National Order of the Leopard sanctioned by President Mobutu in his homeland.
(11 goals) Didier Drogba – Ivory Coast
Drogba is one of the players with so many goals in the competition without a title.
The former Chelsea striker was excellent in attack as he grabbed goals in the 2006 and 2012 tournaments. Incidentally, those were the two occasions where Drogba acquired a runners-up medal, missing penalties in both finals.
(11 goals) Hossam Hassan – Egypt
Egyptian great Hossam Hassan has three AFCON titles to his name as he was part of the sides that won in 1986, 1998 and 2006.
In 1998, the striker, alongside South Africa’s Benni McCarthy, was awarded the golden boot following seven tournament strikes – including two against hosts Burkina Faso in the semi-final and a group stage treble that dismantled Zambia.
(11 goals) Patrick Mboma – Cameroon
Patrick Mbomba was joint top scorer at both 2002 and 2004 Cup of Nations. He is probably one of the most accomplished winners on this list.
Apart from playing his part in Cameroon's historic Olympic triumph at Sydney 2000, Mbomba won the AFCON in 2000 and 2002.
(12 goals) Hassan El-Shazly – Egypt
Hassan El-Shazly scored six goals in the 1963 AFCON – the pinnacle of the Tersana legend’s international exploits.
Despite holding the record for goals by an Egyptian at Africa’s grandest stage, the AFCON is however a competition doused in frustration for El-Shazly.
(13 goals) Rashidi Yekini – Nigeria
Nigeria’s greatest-ever goal scorer till date, featured In three tournaments – 1990, 1992 & 1994.
Yekini, the first Nigerian to score in a World Cup, grabbed 13 goals – topping the goal rankings in both 1992 and 1994.
Yekini has a runners-up and a bronze medal before the 1994 title win where he was named the player of the tournament.
(14 goals) Laurent Pokou – Ivory Coast
Pokou tore the continent apart, contributing a combined 14 goals in just eight fixtures – including five in a single clash with Sierra Leone. All of these were done in two AFCON tournaments.
Despite Pokou’s destruction, the Elephants failed at the semi-final hurdle in both 1965 and 1968 editions of the AFCON.
(18 goals) Samuel Eto’o – Cameroon
Eto’o was lethal during his days and he remains the undisputed leader at this tournament.
He won the AFCON in 2000 and 2002, and eventually watered down Pokou’s 14 goals record as early as 2008. His record stands till date and doesn't seem like it will be broken any time soon.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
