Unique African football records (part one)

By Peter Ochieng

African football has evolved over the years, providing an opportunity for teams and individual players to hold some unique records that may take ages to break.

Here is part one of the sample:  

1. George Weah

The Liberian is the only African Player to Win the FIFA Ballon D’Or, a feat achieved at the height of his footballing prowess in 1995 while featuring for Italian giants, AC Milan.

Weah is also the only former African player to serve a s President of a county. He served as Liberia’s 25th President, from 2018 to 2024.

2. Egypt

The Pharaohs are the most Successful African National team in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition, having won the continental crown 7 times.

They won the last title in 2010.

3. Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure

The Cameroonian and the Ivorian hold the record for most African Player of the Year Award winners.

The now retired footballers won the gong 4 times. Eto’o won the crown in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010, while Toure basked in glory for four straight years, from 2011 to 2014.

4. Godfrey Chitalu

The former Zambian striker is the African international top goal scorer of all time.

He scored 76 goals for the Zambia national football team, widely known as Chipolopolo.

5. Asamoah Gyan

The Ghanian is the African all-time top goal scorer at the FIFA World Cup tournament.  

Gyan netted six goals and grabbed three assists in 11 appearances for Ghana, over three World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2014.

7. Roger Milla

The Cameroonian is the oldest African Player to feature and score at the FIFA World Cup.

While aged 42 years and 39 days, Milla scored for Cameroon against Russia during the 1994 FIFA World in the US.  

8. Thomas N’Kono

Another Cameroonian on the list.

N’Kono is the only goalkeeper to win African Player of the year Award twice, a feat achieved in 1979 and 1982.

The 68-year-old is one of the greatest goalkeepers from the continent of Africa. He was mainly associated with Spanish side Espanyol, whom he represented for almost a decade playing more than 300 official matches.

N'Kono appeared for the Cameroon national team in three World Cups, and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

9. Morocco

The only African team to reach the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup. The Atlas Lions reached the World Cup semis in Qatar in 2022, after beating formidable teams like Portugal and Spain along the way. The team was however beaten by France in one of the semi final matches. France went on to lose to Argentina in the final.

Click here for part two.