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Rankings & Lists

Greatest African Sports Stars of All Time

The greatest African athletes in history — from Muhammad Ali and Pelé to Eliud Kipchoge, Haile Gebrselassie and beyond. A ranking that spans boxing, football, long-distance running and the Olympic stage.

50Athletes Ranked

The greatest African athletes in history — from Muhammad Ali and Pelé to Eliud Kipchoge, Haile Gebrselassie and beyond. A ranking that spans boxing, football, long-distance running and the Olympic stage.

Methodology: Ranked by sustained world-class achievement and dominance within their sport. Athletes are assessed by the highest level of competition they faced and the consistency of their performance across major championships, Olympic Games and career highlights.

Top 10

1
EK

Kenyan·Athletics

Eliud Kipchoge

Widely regarded as the greatest marathoner ever.

2 Olympic golds · 1 world titles

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2
HG

Ethiopian·Athletics

Haile Gebrselassie

Double Olympic 10000m champion, former marathon/10000m WR holder.

2 Olympic golds · 8 world titles

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3
KB

Ethiopian·Athletics

Kenenisa Bekele

Multiple Olympic and world record distance great.

3 Olympic golds · 5 world titles

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4
DD

Ivorian·Football

Didier Drogba

Ivorian striker who became Chelsea's greatest ever player, scoring 164 goals in 381 appearances and leading them to their first Champions Le

212 career goals · 65 international goals

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5
SE

Cameroonian·Football

Samuel Eto'o

Africa's greatest footballer of his era — four-time African Player of the Year and Champions League winner with Barcelona and Inter Milan.

293 career goals · 56 international goals

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6
JO

Nigerian·Football

Jay-Jay Okocha

So good they named him twice — PSG's Nigerian wizard whose skill and flair made him one of football's most entertaining players.

87 career goals · 14 international goals

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7
MS

Egyptian·Football

Mohamed Salah

Egyptian footballer and Liverpool winger, known for his prolific goal-scoring, pace, and being one of the greatest African players in Premie

248 career goals · 71 international goals

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8
SM

Senegalese·Football

Sadio Mané

Senegalese footballer who won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool, leading Senegal to their first Africa Cup of Nations t

190 career goals · 53 international goals

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9
HO

Nigerian/American·Basketball

Hakeem Olajuwon

Nigeria-born champion widely considered the finest centre of the 1990s and the greatest shot-blocker in NBA history.

2× champion · 21.8 ppg career

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10
TD

Ethiopian·Athletics

Tirunesh Dibaba

First woman to win Olympic 5000m/10000m double at same Games.

3 Olympic golds · 4 world titles

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11–25

11
NK

Nigerian·Football

Nwankwo Kanu

Nigerian striker who overcame heart surgery to win Champions League with Ajax, Olympic gold, and became Arsenal legend known for dramatic go

141 career goals · 12 international goals

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12
YT

Ivorian·Football

Yaya Touré

Ivorian midfielder who won the Champions League with Barcelona and Premier League with Manchester City, known for his powerful box-to-box pl

82 career goals · 19 international goals

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13
KT

Ivorian·Football

Kolo Touré

Fearless Ivorian defender who was a key figure in Arsenal's 'Invincibles' season and later won the Premier League with Manchester City.

14 career goals · 4 international goals

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14
AG

Ghanaian·Football

Asamoah Gyan

Ghana's all-time leading scorer whose missed penalty against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup became one of football's most painful near-miss m

177 career goals · 51 international goals

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15
RM

Algerian·Football

Riyad Mahrez

Leicester City's PFA Player of the Year during his miraculous 5000-1 title win and Manchester City's Champions League winner.

139 career goals · 29 international goals

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16
SK

South African·Rugby Union

Siya Kolisi

Siya Kolisi made history as the first black captain of South Africa and led the Springboks to Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023.

96 caps · 8 tries

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17
EE

South African·Golf

Ernie Els

Ernie Els is a South African golfing great celebrated for two US Opens and two Open Championships.

4 majors · 19 tour wins

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18
GP

South African·Golf

Gary Player

Gary Player is a South African golf legend who won 9 majors and completed the career Grand Slam by age 29.

9 majors · 24 tour wins

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19
RM

Cameroonian·Football

Roger Milla

The dancing goalscorer who captivated the 1990 World Cup — the first African to truly capture global attention at a World Cup.

413 career goals · 43 international goals

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20
JK

South African·Cricket

Jacques Kallis

South African all-rounder whose combination of prolific batting and high-class fast-medium bowling is unmatched statistically.

13289 Test runs · 55.37 Test avg

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21
BH

South African·Rugby Union

Bryan Habana

Bryan Habana is South Africa's all-time leading try-scorer and a 2007 Rugby World Cup winner, once holding the joint record for tries in a s

124 caps · 67 tries

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22
PM

South African·Rugby Union

Percy Montgomery

Percy Montgomery was a prolific goal-kicking fullback who became South Africa's all-time leading points scorer and won the 2007 Rugby World

102 caps · 25 tries

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23
JD

South African·Rugby Union

Jean de Villiers

Jean de Villiers was one of South Africa's most-capped players, a two-time World Cup squad member and captain who won the title in 2007.

109 caps · 26 tries

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24
JS

South African·Rugby Union

John Smit

John Smit captained South Africa to victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was one of the Springboks' most capped players.

111 caps · 8 tries

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25
JV

South African·Rugby Union

Joost van der Westhuizen

Joost van der Westhuizen was a legendary Springbok scrum-half and 1995 Rugby World Cup winner who became an advocate for motor neurone disea

89 caps · 38 tries

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26–50

26
AP

Ghanaian·Football

Abedi Pelé

Ghana's greatest ever footballer and African Player of the Year three times — a key figure in Marseille's Champions League triumph in 1993.

148 career goals · 33 international goals

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27
EE

South African·Rugby Union

Eben Etzebeth

Eben Etzebeth is South Africa's most-capped international player and a two-time Rugby World Cup winner known for his physicality as a lock.

141 caps · 7 tries

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28
VM

South African·Rugby Union

Victor Matfield

Victor Matfield was a masterful lineout technician who became the most capped lock in rugby history and won the World Cup with South Africa

127 caps · 5 tries

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29
PC

Senegalese·Football

Papiss Cissé

Senegalese striker known for spectacular goals and prolific scoring across European leagues, particularly remembered for his stunning strike

244 career goals · 26 international goals

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30
DV

South African·Rugby Union

Duane Vermeulen

Duane Vermeulen is a powerful Springbok number 8 who was named Man of the Match in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final and won two World Cup titl

76 caps · 3 tries

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31
FK

Kenyan·Athletics

Faith Kipyegon

Three-time Olympic 1500m champion, world record holder.

3 Olympic golds · 4 world titles

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32
HA

South African·Cricket

Hashim Amla

South African batter known for his elegant technique and prolific run-scoring, especially in ODIs.

9282 Test runs · 46.64 Test avg

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33
HE

Moroccan·Athletics

Hicham El Guerrouj

1500m/5000m Olympic double champion, WR holder for 1500m/mile.

2 Olympic golds · 4 world titles

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34
GS

South African·Cricket

Graeme Smith

South African opening batter who became the youngest Test captain and led the side to numerous series wins.

9265 Test runs · 48.25 Test avg

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35
IA

Nigerian/New Zealand·MMA

Israel Adesanya

Unified the middleweight title in 2019, defended it five times, lost and regained it in 2022, then lost it again to Sean Strickland in 2023.

24-6 · 3 title reigns

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36
OD

South African·Rugby Union

Os du Randt

Os du Randt was a powerful Springbok prop who won the Rugby World Cup in both 1995 and 2007, the only player to achieve that feat.

80 caps · 2 tries

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37
PD

South African·Rugby Union

Pieter-Steph du Toit

Pieter-Steph du Toit is a versatile lock/flanker who has twice been named World Rugby's Player of the Year and won back-to-back World Cups w

92 caps · 12 tries

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38
DD

South African·Rugby Union

Damian de Allende

Damian de Allende is a South African centre renowned for his physical defense and go-forward ball-carrying, a two-time Rugby World Cup winne

95 caps · 11 tries

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39
JC

Ugandan·Athletics

Joshua Cheptegei

Holds 5000m and 10000m WRs, Olympic 10000m champion.

2 Olympic golds · 3 world titles

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40
IS

Algerian·Football

Islam Slimani

Prolific Algerian striker whose goalscoring across the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A established him as one of Africa's finest forward

146 career goals · 43 international goals

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41
CK

South African·Rugby Union

Cheslin Kolbe

Cheslin Kolbe is a South African wing celebrated for his footwork and pace, winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2019 and 2023.

48 caps · 21 tries

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42
MM

South African·Rugby Union

Malcolm Marx

Malcolm Marx is a South African hooker regarded as one of the best in the world, key to the Springboks' back-to-back World Cup triumphs.

76 caps · 12 tries

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43
AD

South African·Cricket

AB de Villiers

South African batter and wicketkeeper renowned for his innovative, all-around shot-making across all cricket formats.

8765 Test runs · 50.66 Test avg

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44
LA

South African·Rugby Union

Lukhanyo Am

Lukhanyo Am is a Springbok centre renowned for his all-round play, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner with South Africa.

55 caps · 15 tries

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45
KP

British/South African·Cricket

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen was a flamboyant England batter whose innings of 158 helped England win the 2005 Ashes, and who became known for inventing t

8181 Test runs · 47.28 Test avg

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46
AH

Moroccan·Football

Achraf Hakimi

Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Paris Saint-Germain and captains Morocco national team. Known for pace and at

36 career goals · 12 international goals

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47
SK

Ivorian·Football

Salomon Kalou

Ivorian footballer who won the 2012 Champions League with Chelsea and starred for Ivory Coast in their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.

154 career goals · 28 international goals

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48
HP

South African·Rugby Union

Handré Pollard

Handré Pollard is a Springbok fly-half who has been the difference-maker in two Rugby World Cup triumphs, including kicking all his side's p

80 caps · 772 points

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49
FD

South African·Rugby Union

Faf de Klerk

Faf de Klerk is a South African scrum-half known for his tenacious defense, winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups with the Springboks.

55 caps · 5 tries

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50
AM

Nigerian·Football

Ahmed Musa

Pacy and powerful Nigerian winger who won the AFCON and represented the Super Eagles with distinction across a long career spanning multiple

106 career goals · 16 international goals

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