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Top 10 African Scorers in Premier League History

Salah, Mane, Premier League
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Countless players from Africa have starred in England, but who has scored the most goals? Find out here who are the highest African scorers in the Premier League.

Some of the greatest African scorers have graced the Premier League over the years. From George Weah to Mohamed Salah, the list is endless. The continent constantly produces more talents, and many more goal machines will surely arrive.

The African to score the most goals in Premier League history is Mohamed Salah. The two-time Golden Boot winner has scored 126 goals in 207 games across his career in England for Liverpool and Chelsea.

Using stats from the English league itself, we give you a detailed list of the top 10 African scorers in Premier League history.

1) Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 126 goals

Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
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GoalsGamesClub/s
126207Chelsea, Liverpool

After a tough first stint with Chelsea between 2014-16, Salah returned to the Premier League in 2017 with Liverpool and has since become a household name.

The Egypt international is rated as one of the best attackers in the world and his record backs it. In only 167 games, he has scored 107 goals and won the Golden Boot twice. He won Player of the season in 2017/18 and helped Liverpool end a 30-year wait for Premier League glory in 2019/20.

Salah surpassed Ivorian legend Didier Drogba to become the top African scorer in the Premier League era in style by scoring a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 5-0 win at Manchester United in October 2021.

2) Sadio Mané (Senegal) – 111 goals

Sadio Mane, Chelsea
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111263Southampton, Liverpool

Coming in second is Sadio Mane. The Senegal international starred in the Premier League from 2014 until June 2022. After spells at Southampton and Liverpool, he has just joined Bayern Munich for a new challenge in Germany.

The 30-year-old raised his game to new heights at Anfield, earning recognition from the very best. In fact, Lionel Messi voted for him in the 2019 FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Mane even shared the Golden Boot with Reds teammate Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019 and won his first Premier League title a year later.

3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 104 goals

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GoalsGamesClub
104254Chelsea

The Ivorian striker was one of Jose Mourinho’s first signings as Chelsea manager in 2004. He was a relatively unknown talent from Marseille, but that soon changed.

Drogba proved to be a vital player for Chelsea across two spells between 2004-2012. He became the first African scorer to reach a century of goals, won two Golden Boot awards (2006-07 & 2009-10), and helped the Blues win the Premier League four times.

4) Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) – 97 goals

Emmanuel Adebayor
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97242Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Crystal Palace

The 38-year-old played for four different clubs during his Premier League days between 2006 and 2016.

Adebayor became a household name at Arsenal and replaced a departed Thierry Henry as the club’s leading man. The striker later had mixed spells at Manchester City and Tottenham. In 2016, he bid England farewell for the last time following a brief stint at Crystal Palace.

5) Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Nigeria) – 95 goals

Yakubu
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95252Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Blackburn

Like Adebayor, Yakubu represented four different teams during his Premier League career. The Nigerian scored an impressive 95 goals in 295 games, averaging 0.38 goals per match.

Yakubu, who last played in the Premier League in 2012 for Blackburn, retired from football in November 2017.

6) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) – 78 goals

Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City
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78263Leicester, Manchester City

Mahrez became a Premier League and PFA Player of the Year winner at Leicester City during a glorious four-year spell. He has since tasted further success at Manchester City. Three more titles have come his way at the Etihad, and more may follow in the upcoming seasons.

7) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) – 69 goals

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Arsenal
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GoalsGamesClub
69134Arsenal, Chelsea

One quick riser in the list of top African scorers in Premier League history is Aubameyang.

The former Gabon captain wanted to test himself in England when he swapped Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal in 2018, and it’s fair to say he aced it. In only 128 games, Auba scored 68 goals at the Emirates and shared the Golden Boot prize with Salah and Mane in 2019.

After a short, yet prolific, spell at Barcelona, Aubameyang resumed his Premier League career in September 2022 by joining Chelsea for €12 million.

8) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) – 62 goals

Yaya Touré
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GoalsGamesClub
62230Manchester City

The four-time African Footballer of the Year starred for Manchester City between 2010 and 2018. In that time, he supplied many vital goals – such as that memorable winner in the 2011 FA Cup final – and helped the club win the Premier League 3 times.

9) Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) – 54 goals

Nwankwo Kanu
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54237Arsenal, West Brom, Portsmouth

Kanu is a true Premier League great and was a member of Arsenal’s famous ‘Invincibles’, who won the 2003/04 title without a single defeat all season.

The two-time Premier League winner also had spells with West Brom and Portsmouth before retiring from the game in 2012.

10) Efan Ekoku (Nigeria) – 52 goals

Efan Ekoku
Source: Premier League
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52160Wimbledon, Norwich City

Completing our list of top African scorers in the Premier League era is Ekoku.

The former Nigeria international played in the English top flight between 1992 and 1999. He was a striker for Wimbledon and Norwich City, scoring 52 goals in 160 appearances.

Summary

Top African Scorers in Premier League History

RankPlayerCountryGoals
1.Mohamed SalahEgypt120
3.Sadio ManéSenegal111
3.Didier DrogbaIvory Coast104
4.Emmanuel AdebayorTogo97
5.YakubuNigeria95
6.Riyad MahrezAlgeria77
7.Pierre-Emerick AubameyangGabon68
8.Yaya TouréIvory Coast62
9.KanuNigeria54
10.Efan EkokuNigeria52
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