Source: Daily_Mail
The List: The 50 best African players in history Nos 20-11
HAVE YOUR SAY... Who is the greatest African footballer of all time? Ghanaian Abedi Pele arguably became the continent's first superstar in the late eighties, but there have been a host of candidates since, among them George Weah, Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba. And who can forget the cheeky grin and goalscoring prowess of Roger Milla? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Pele predicted an African nation would win thsporte World Cup by the year2000. That didn't happen, but stars from the continent have neverthelessthrilled for decades.[LNB]And with the Africa Cup of Nations underway in Angola, the latestepisode of The List trumpets the greatest players from the continent inhistory.[LNB]FromGhana's Abedi Pele to 'King' George Weah, Africans have wowed the worldwith their pace, dazzling ball control and athleticism.[LNB]Week after week we toil over our selections, and like nothing more than hearing your thoughts.[LNB]Asa caveat for the eagle-eyed out there, Mozambique-born Portugueselegend Eusebio does not feature as our List only concerns those born inAfrica who played for an African nation.[LNB]20) Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) [LNB]The younger brother of Manchester City's Kolo (more on him later) hasbeen making quite a name for himself in Spain with Barcelona in thelast twelve months.[LNB]The Catalan giants win an unprecedentedtreble of Spanish League, Cup and European Cup last season.[LNB]Not considered a utility player but the holding midfielder is certainlyadaptable, as exemplified by his performance for Barca at centre-backin the final against United and is currently on international duty atthe African Cup of Nations.[LNB] 19) Japhet N'Doram (Chad)[LNB]Many players have made the move from Africa to Europe but few have done so with as much success as N'Doram.[LNB]After a successful spell with Cameroon club Tonnerre Yaounde, theChadian striker (right) moved to France with FC Nantes where he was to enjoy aproductive seven years, scoring 76 goals in 173 league appearances.[LNB]His career highlights include scoring the winner over Juventus in 1994in the Champions League, his Ligue 1 winners medal with Nantes in 1995and his 13 international goals in 36 appearances for Chad.[LNB]18) Marc Vivien Foe (Cameroon)A much loved and talented player whose name will sadly be rememberedfor the nature of how he lost his life in 2003 while on internationalduty for the Indomitable Lions.[LNB]The former Lens, West Ham, Lyons and Manchester City midfielder was 28when he passed away in the 72nd minute of the Confederations Cup clashwith Columbia after suffering heart failure - the outpouring of griefwas tribute to Foe as a man and the regard in which he was held as aplayer.[LNB] Foe: Playing for Cameroon against Saudi Arabia at the 2002 World Cup finals[LNB] 17) Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast)The eldest of the Toure siblings and the List believes he's also thebest! Kolo has proved himself as one of the Premier League's bestdefenders at Arsenal and, more recently, he's prospered at ManchesterCity.[LNB]Toure cost Arsene Wenger a paltry £150,000 in 2002, but City had toshell out £16m seven years later for the pacy, strong andtough-tackling centre-half.[LNB] Case for the defence: Kolo Toure in action for Ivory Coast against Egypt in 2008[LNB]16) Benni McCarthy (South Africa)One of the most successful South African footballers in history -McCarthy enjoyed success with Ajax, winning the Dutch league title in1998 and was later part of Jose Mourinho's all-conquering Porto side of2004.[LNB]Portuguese and Champions League success came his way before a £2.5mmove to the Premier League with Blackburn in 2006 where he finishedsecond top scorer in the 2006-2007 season with 18 league goals.[LNB] South African star: Benni McCarthy in action during a friendly clash with Australia in 2008[LNB]15) Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria) [LNB]Yekini liked goals - and lots of them. The Nigerian striker baggedgoals and broke records consistently during his 24-year career.[LNB]He bagged a remarkable 37 goals for the national side in just 70appearances - a record for the Super Eagles.[LNB]He also helped Nigeria win the1994 Africa Cup of Nations where he was, unsurprisingly, topgoalscorer.[LNB] Eye for goal: Yekini[LNB] 14) Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria) Given Algeria's recent showing at the Africa Cup of Nations, they couldreally do with someone like Belloumi in their side. Still, at 51 heprobably wouldn't have been able to help out in their 3-0 defeat toMalawi.[LNB]He refused to play in Europe but hios playing record was neverdiminished - he participated at 1980 Olympics and at two World Cups - in 1982 and 1986 - earning himself 87 caps and scored 40 goals.[LNB]His greatest moment came in 1982 when he scored the winning goal in theshock 2-1 win over West Germany at the World Cup in Spain.[LNB] Belloumi: challenging Brazil's Careca at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico[LNB]13) Fredi Kanoute (Mali) Standing the test of time, Kanoute has proven himself time and again he's one of the greatest African strikers of all time.[LNB]The lanky and languid former Lens, West Ham and Tottenham forward ishas proven a real hit with Sevilla, scoring 63 goals in his 133 leagueappearances.[LNB]Eligible for France but chose to stick with his Malian heritage he wasnamed African Footballer of the year in 2007 and is currently oninternational duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.[LNB] One of the very best: Kanoute fights for the ball with John Obi Mikel during Mali's clash with Nigeria at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations[LNB]12) Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) The Togolese striker polarises opinion between fans - is he animposing, highly skilful striker with a keen eye for goal or a divisiveand expensive trouble-maker?[LNB]Answers to questions only Mark Hughes, Arsene Wenger and Roberto Mancinican answer but we can be certain that he is devastating in front ofgoal - from powerful headers against his former club to acrobaticoverhead strikes in Europe, Adebayor is one of the best.[LNB] Top forward: Emmanuel Adebayor playing for Togo in their clash with France at the 2006 World Cup finals[LNB]11) Abedi Pele (Ghana) Abedi Pele[LNB]Just missing out on out top ten is Pele, the Ghanaian striker who turned out for 18 clubs during his 22-year career and was voted by his namesake, the Brazilian Pele, as one of the greatest 125 footballers to have ever lived.[LNB]One of the first African stars to really make an impact in Europe, Pele (right) won major honours with Marseille, including the Champions League in 1993 and four French Ligue 1 titles during his two stints at the club.[LNB]Not shy in front of goal for Ghana either, 33 strikes in 73 appearances make him the country's top goalscorer and he featured in five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.[LNB]The best of the rest of The ListSportsmail's top 50 Premier League players of the decadeSportsmail's top 50 last-gasp goals in British footballSportsmail's top 50 footballers never to play at the World CupSportsmail's top 50 sporting feuds of all timeSportsmail's 50 great sports photographsSportsmail's top 50 commentators of all timeSportsmail's top 50 sporting venuesSportsmail's top 50 performers of the season so farSportsmail's top 50 all-time managers in BritainSportsmail's top 50 goal poachersSportsmail's top 50 footballing traitorsSportsmail's top 50 FA Cup heroesSportsmail's greatest Wembley finals in historySportsmail's top 50 biggest hitters in cricketSportsmail's top 50 British & Irish LionsSportsmail's top 50 Ashes heroes [LNB]
