• African football

Which African players have won UEFA Champions League?

Didier Drogba at Chelsea
"[champions] Chelsea x Juventus : 8" by Crystian Cruz is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
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Let’s check out every African player to have ever lifted Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.

The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in the world, and over the years, it has seen some remarkable African talents making their mark on the grandest stage. In total, 26 African players have had the honour of lifting the European Cup/Champions League trophy, with 24 of them achieving this feat in the post-1992 era.

Before the dawn of the Champions League in 1992, only Bruce Grobbelaar from Zimbabwe and Rabah Madjer from Algeria managed to secure European Cup titles. Grobbelaar achieved this feat with Liverpool in 1984, while Madjer did so with Porto in 1987.

Most successful African player in UCL

Samuel Eto’o, one of Africa’s greatest footballing legends, stands out as the most successful African player in the Champions League.

Eto’o celebrated three triumphant campaigns with Barcelona in 2006 and 2009 and later with Inter Milan in 2010. His dazzling performances in the finals, including memorable victories over Arsenal and Bayern Munich, have left an indelible legacy.

Full list of African Champions League winners

#PlayerNationalityClub(s)Year(s)
1Bruce Grobbelaar๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผLiverpool1984
2Rabah Madjer๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟPorto1987
3Abedi Pelรฉ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญMarseille1993
4Finidi George๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌAjax1995
5Nwankwo Kanu๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌAjax1995
6Ibrahim Tanko๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญBorussia Dortmund1997
7Samuel Kuffour๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญBayern Munich2001
8Geremiย ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒReal Madrid2000 & 2002
9Benni McCarthy๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆPorto2004
10Djimi Traorรฉย ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑLiverpool2005
11Samuel Etoโ€™o๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒBarcelona and Inter2006, 2009, & 2010
12Yaya Tourรฉ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎBarcelona2009
13Seydou Keita๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑBarcelona2009 & 2011
14Sulley Muntari๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญInter2010
15McDonald Mariga๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ชInter2010
16John Obi Mikelย ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌChelseaย 2012
17Michael Essien๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญChelseaย 2012
18Salomon Kalou๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎChelseaย 2012
19Didier Drogba๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎChelseaย 2012
20Achraf Hakimi๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆReal Madrid2018
21Mohamed Salah๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌLiverpool2019
22Sadio Mane๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณLiverpool2019
23Joel Matip๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒLiverpool2019
24Naby Keitaย ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณLiverpool2019
25ร‰douard Mendyย ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณChelsea2021
26Hakim Ziyechย ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆChelsea2021
27Riyad Mahrez๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟManchester City2023

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