List Of 29 African Players That Have Won The Champions League – The UCL is formally known as the UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format, and a single leg final.
One could easily say that the tournament is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.
However, it will be good to note the fact that Clubs that finish next-in-line in their national league, having not qualified for the Champions League, are eligible for the second-tier UEFA Europa League competition, and from 2021, teams not eligible for the UEFA Europa League will qualify for a new third-tier competition called the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Unarguably, biggest football competition on the planet earth is the FIFA World Cup, but the UEFA Champions League also stands out in world football and I have the list of African players that have won the Champions League.
Samuel Eto’o
Eto’o is a Cameroon legend who would need an entire notepad. On a one hand, the former Indomitable Lions striker is a multiple UEFA Champions League victor and became the first African to win the tournament with two different clubs.
On the other hand, the attacker scored six times for Barcelona during their victorious 2005-06 Champions League season and one of those was an all-important strike in the final against Arsenal to secure a 2-1 victory.
In summary, Samuel Eto’o continued to be a good luck charm for teams in the Champions League when he transferred to Inter Milan in 2009, winning his third title as a fundamental part of José Mourinho’s 2010 squad.
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is one of the player on earth that does not need an introduction, due to the fact he made his mark on the tournament by scoring 44 Champions League goals, cementing his place as the top scoring African in the high-profile competition. Despite the incredible number of goals he was responsible for, the Elephants legend only has one title to his name.
Geremi Njitap
Geremi is a former Cameroon international who won the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2002 during a three-year stint playing for Real Madrid. Just like Yaya Touré, Geremi Njitap’s versatility allowed the Galácticos the ability to use him in defence and midfield.
Benni McCarthy
Benni McCarthy is a former South African all-time leading Bafana goal scorer may have been remembered for his struggles with weight-gain towards the end of his career but there is no doubt that one of his fondest memories will be his UEFA Champions League victory for Porto in 2004
Yaya Touré
The man-marking midfielder made his way to the top of the podium in the Champions League with Barcelona on two occasions, in 2009 and 2011. The Ivorian professional football worked incredibly hard in midfield for the Blaugrana, winning possession and disrupting the flow of opposition play to relaunch effective counterattacks.
Sulley Muntari
Muntari is the first African player to win the UEFA Champions League in 1993 with Marseille, compatriot Sulley Muntari repeated the feat with Serie A club Inter Milan 17 years later. The former Ghanaian defensive midfielder was a decisive contributor to José Mourinho’s successful Champions League winning season with the Italians in 2010.
Sadio Mane
The Senegalese is one of the key protagonists in Liverpool’s magnificent campaign, Mane also played a key role in their Champions League success last season.
Sadio Mane’s performance to dispatch Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena was outstanding, with the Senegal forward also proving during the 17-18 campaign that he was more than capable of terrorising Europe’s best defences with 10 goals in 11 UCL outings.
Mohamed Salah
Still in Liverpool side, Salah is another member of the side that won the title last year, Salah was influential in the final against Tottenham, netting an early penalty after Mane had won a penalty.
He followed that up with a Premier League title this season, having been unfortunate to miss out last season, and Salah has been simply phenomenal since arriving in English football.
Abedi Pele
The former Ghanaian international helped Marseille clinch three successive Ligue 1 titles during the 1990s and played a vital role in the French outfit’s European Cup triumph in the 1992/93 campaign
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce was a Zimbabwean professional footballer who was one of Africa’s most successful players, having won a number of trophies during his stint with Liverpool, which included six league titles, three FA Cups and the European Cup.
As a matter of fact, he became the first independent African to lift the prestigious European Cup after the Reds defeated AS Roma in a penalty shootout in which the Zimbabwean showed off his famous spaghetti legs in an attempt to distract the opposing penalty takers.
Michael Essien
The former Ghanaian international was a no-nonsense, tough-tackling midfielder who was key to Chelsea’s success following the appointment of Jose Mourinho in 2004, helping the club to a number of Premier League and FA Cups.
Michael Essien also added the Champions League trophy to his glittering CV when the Blues defeated Bayern Munich on penalties in the 2011/12 campaign.
The rest of the player who clinched the European Trophy are as follows;
Rabah Madjer [Algeria] – FC Porto, 1986-1987
Abedi Pelé [Ghana] – Olympique de Marseille, 1992-1993
Finidi George [Nigeria] – Ajax, 1994-1995
Nwankwo Kanu [Nigeria] – Ajax, 1994-1995
Ibrahim Tanko [Ghana] – Borussia Dortmund, 1997
Samuel Kuffour [Ghana] – FC Bayern Munich 2000-2001
Geremi [Cameroon] – Real Madrid, 2000 & 2002
Benni McCarthy [South Africa] – FC Porto, 2003-2004
Djimi Traoré [Mali] – Liverpool FC, 2004-2005
Seydou Keita [Mali] – FC Barcelona, 2008-2009, 2010-2011
Sulley Muntari [Ghana] – Inter Milan, 2009-2010
McDonald Mariga [Kenya] – Inter Milan 2009 – 2010
John Obi Mikel [Nigeria] – Chelsea FC, 2011-2012
Salomon Kalou [Ivory Coast] – Chelsea FC, 2011-2012
Achraf Hakimi [Morocco] – Real Madrid FC, 2017-2018
Joel Matip [Cameroon] – Liverpool, 2019
Naby Keita [Guinea] – Liverpool, 2019
Édouard Osoque Mendy [Senegal] – Chelsea, 2021
Hakim Ziyech [Morocco] – Chelsea, 2021