KAMPALA — African Cup of Nations remains the continent’s most prestigious competition. The competition usually attracts global attention as top African soccer stars lock horns. It also provides a unique sports betting opportunity for punters. In this article, you will discover the top marksmen to have graced the competition. Read on to discover more.
Didier Drogba
Country: Ivory Coast
Goals: 11
Drogba represented The Elephants in five AFCON finals between 2006 and 2013. In all the matches he played, punters on Betway can remember that he scored crucial goals. The Ivory Coast’s golden generation never managed to win the prestigious competition, but Drogba was the joint top-scorer in the 2012 competition. His record remains commendable despite not winning the competition.
Patrick M’boma
Country: Cameroon
Goals: 11
African football fans remember M’boma as a lethal striker. He was the joint top scorer in 2002 and 2004. Unlike Drogba, the Cameroonian won the trophy with the Indomitable Lions in 2002. He also won the competition in 2002 alongside the golden generation. His 11 goals are evidence that he was a key player for his country.
Hossam Hassan
Country: Egypt
Goals: 11
Hossam scored the same number of goals as M’boma, but he ranks higher because he won more AFCON titles. He won the cup three times in 1986, 1998, and 2006. He is also the oldest player to have scored in the competition after scoring against DR Congo aged 39. Hossam scored seven goals during the 1998 finals, same as South Africa’s Benni McCarthy, becoming the third-highest scoring player in one finals competition.
Hassan El-Shazly
Country: Egypt
Goals: 12
El-Shazly was celebrated in his day for his shooting prowess. He scored six of his 12 strikes in the 1963 tournament in Ghana. He was also named the player of the tournament. Despite his lethal goal-scoring, El-Shazly never won the AFCON title. Maybe the several domestic titles he won can be a consolation.
Rashidi Yekini
Country: Nigeria
Goals: 13 goals
If you watched African football in the 1990s, then you know Yekini very well. He is Nigeria’s all-time top scorer and helped his country lift the 1994 AFCON title to end a 14-year wait. He contributed with five goals and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. The departed legend will live long in the memories of football fans worldwide.
Laurent Pokou
Country: Ivory Coast
Goals: 14
The late Pokou will be remembered for scoring five goals in a single match when The Elephants dismantled Ethiopia 6-1 in 1970. His tally in that year’s tournament was eight, the second-highest in a single competition. He had scored six times in the 1968 competition in Ethiopia, bringing his tally in the competition to 14. However, he was unlucky not to have led his country to an AFCON crown.
Samuel Eto
Country: Cameroon
Goals: 18
Eto had the privilege of breaking Pokou’s record in 2008. The former Barcelona talisman who had endeared himself to global football fans and punters on Betway is one of the most talented footballers from the African continent. He was named African Footballer of the Year four times and won the AFCON title twice.
