Top 5 active African footballers

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Arguably football is the most popular sport in almost every African country. Despite this, no African country has ever won the World Cup.

Nevertheless it has been a producer of a number of icons that dominated the world of football such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, George Weah, Nwankwo Kanu, etc.

However certain new players have emerged in recent times who have taken African football to a whole new level. Football fan across the globe are chanting the names of players such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

While the Egyptian player has been a sensation throughout the season, Cristiano Ronaldo himself believes that Salah is a genuine contender to break the decade long Ronaldo/Messi dominance of the Ballon d’Or.

Right on this note, let us have a look at the top five active African footballers.

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#5 Riyad Mahrez

The French born Algerian winger was the first of his country to win a Premier League medal when Leicester City won the PL title in the 2015-16 season. His role in their victory was vital and he was subsequently voted the PFA Player of the Year 2015-16, the first African to win this accolade.

Mahrez was described as priceless by Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri ahead of the 2016 January transfer window. The same year in October, he was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or award, he finished seventh.

Despite his wish to leave the club, the Algerian winger performed really well last season, scoring 12 goals along with ten assists in 36 appearances, which is way better than his six goals and three assists in the 2016-17 season.

Mahrez made his international debut with the Algerian national team in 2014 and also represented them at the World Cup the same year.

He played 39 matches for Algeria since then, scoring eight goals. He was a part of the PFA Team of the Year in the 2015-16 season and was also voted the CAF African Player of the Year 2016.

#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Known for speed, technical skills, and finishing, the former BVB player is at number four on our list. Aubameyang had his breakout in the 2012-13 season when he was playing for the Ligue 1 team, Saint-Étienne.

The same year, he had finished second on the list of the league’s top goalscorers, scoring 19 goals and eight assists in 37 games.

His brilliant performances in Ligue 1 earned him a move to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp, Aubameyang adapted his game as a complete forward and soon established himself as one of the best strikers in the world.

In the January transfer window this year, Aubameyang signed for the PL club, Arsenal for a club record fee of £56 million. He played his debut match for the Gunners against Everton in February.

Despite playing for only four months, Aubameyang finished his debut season with ten goals and four assists in just 13 games. He also became the last goalscorer under Arsene Wenger.

Though Aubameyang was eligible to play for Spain, he decided to represent Gabon and made his international debut for the Gabonese national team in 2009. He has played 56 matches with his national team, scoring 23 goals.

For his performances in the 2015 African Cup of Nations, he was voted the CAF African Footballer of the Year 2015 – the first Gabonese player to win this award.

#3 Naby Keita

Though the Guinean international currently plays for the Bundesliga club, RB Leipzig, he will join Premier League club Liverpool on July 1 as he agreed for the same a season in advance.

Keita is a dynamic, box-to-box central midfielder who is able to distribute the ball with range and accuracy. He was among RB Leipzig’s top performers when they finished 2nd in the 2016-17 season and contributed eight goals and eight assists to the team.

However, RB Leipzig struggled last season and finished sixth in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, Naby Keita remains their best performer, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 27 games.

He impressed with his performances in the Champions League and Europa League and was included in the Europa League Team of the Season 2017-18.

The Guinean international is about to take the big step in his career and could become one of the top midfielders in Europe in the coming years under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.

#2 Sadio Mane

One of Liverpool’s ‘phenomenal front three’, the Senegalese joined Liverpool in June 2016 and has been a revelation since then.

Alongside his teammates Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane scored ten goals in the Champions League last season, making Liverpool the only club in history to have three players scoring ten plus goals in a single CL season.

His speed and ability to take on defenders makes him deadly during counter attacks. At the same time, he also possesses a good vision and finishing skills.

Mane’s role in Liverpool’s impressive run to the CL finals last season was very crucial. The same season, he scored 20 goals and assisted eight other goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.

However, he suffered from a few injuries last season and was overshadowed by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah. Nevertheless, he is still very important to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Liverpool Player of the Year 2017 will be looking forward to having a good time with the Senegalese national team at the World Cup this year.

#1 Mohamed Salah

The African Player of the Year 2017 has been a revelation since his move to Anfield. Widely known as The Pharaoh, Salah led his national team through the World Cup qualifications for the first time in 28 years.

The former Chelsea man won the PFA Player of the Year last season as he emerged as the league’s top scorer with 32 goals.

He also played a vital part in Liverpool’s impressive run to the final of Europe’s elite club competition, scoring ten goals and making four assists in the process.

The King of Egypt emerged as Liverpool’s unlikely leader last season due to his tendency to shine in the big games.

He also won the Champions League’s Player of the Week award on three occasions along with three Player of the Month accolades in the Premier League – the most for any player in a single season.

Salah is considered one of the greatest threats to the Ronaldo/Messi duopoly over the Ballon d’Or, and a good time in Russia might put him in the driving seat to win the prestigious award.