Africa's Greatest Athletes: Celebrating Sporting Legends

Nov 06, 2025 0

In a world where European and South American stars dominate the conversation, Africa's finest players often find themselves overshadowed, their incredible feats dismissed or overlooked. Whether it's due to geography, the exodus of African talent to European clubs, or the historical biases that have persisted for decades, the truth remains: Africa has birthed some of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen. Yet, these icons - past and present - often don’t get the recognition they so rightly deserve. Despite the undeniable rise of global football and the increasing inclusivity of the game, there remains a stubborn undercurrent of bias that still holds back the recognition of African footballing legends.

In our ongoing annual series spotlighting the Top 10 male African Athletes of the Year, we unveiled Part 1 earlier today. Part 2 carries forward the countdown, focusing on the outstanding accomplishments of the athletes who secured positions in the Top 5 of our selection. African athletes have gone above and beyond to make their mark not only on the continental stage but also on the world stage. From the track to the court, the pool to the pitch, narrowing down an entire continent’s sporting brilliance to just a few names feels almost unjust.

It’s a thankless task-we know we’re bound to miss someone. We know the debates will be fierce.

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Top African Athletes of the Year

1. Kenenisa Bekele (Long-distance Running)

Ethiopia’s Bekele dominated the 5,000 and 10,000-metre track races throughout the 2000s and held the world record in both distances until 2020. He set his 5,000-metre world record in 2004 and the 10,000-metre record the following year. In recent years, he has transitioned to the marathon and been one of the best at that distance too, winning the Berlin Marathon in 2016 and 2019, making him arguably the most versatile long-distance runner ever.

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2. Eliud Kipchoge (Long-distance Running)

Kipchoge is one of the most dominant distance runners of the 21st century, having won multiple major marathon titles and two Olympic golds in the marathon. His consistency at the top of his sport sets him apart from his peers. He started his career as a 5000m runner, winning a World Championship gold in 2003, and two Olympic medals before switching to marathons.

3. Samuel Eto'o (Soccer)

Eto'o may be controversial for his post-playing legacy as president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, but his exploits on the pitch were beyond reproach. One of the most feared strikers in the world in his prime at Barcelona and Internazionale, he conquered Europe twice alongside Lionel Messi for Barça only to come back to haunt them in his first season with Inter and win the Champions League a fourth time, counting the one he won as a youngster at Real Madrid. He defied the stereotype of African athletes as being useful for their physique only.

4. Kirsty Coventry (Swimming)

Now a politician in her home country of Zimbabwe, Coventry is Africa's most decorated Olympian, male or female, with seven medals across five Games. Coventry made her Olympic debut at the 2000 games while still in high school, and went on to compete until the 2016 Games in Rio. She won all but one of her country's Olympic medals to date, and is equal with the USA's Katie Ledecky for the most individual swimming medals by a woman (7).

5. Tirunesh Dibaba (Long-distance Running)

Arguably the greatest female distance runner of all-time, the Ethiopian has dominated the 5,000m and 10,000m races for much of the millennium and also won gold at the 2017 Chicago Marathon. Dibaba had a rivalry with compatriot Meseret Defar in the 3,000 and 5,000 metre races, particularly in the mid-2000s. Ultimately, Dibaba proved to be the more versatile athlete, as evidenced by her success in the marathon.

6. Didier Drogba (Soccer)

The ultimate man for the big occasion, Drogba's contribution to Chelsea FC was captured perfectly by Frank Lampard when he said: "The amount of important goals he has got for us in cup finals and big games throughout his career makes him an icon and historical figure at Chelsea, without a doubt." Drogba is one of Africa's most decorated footballers at club level, having played for the Blues from 2004 to 2012 and again in 2014/15.

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7. Faith Kipyegon (Middle & Long-distance Running)

Kipyegon won back-to-back gold medals in the 1500m in Rio and Tokyo and holds the world record in that distance, while also being among the world's best at far longer races. She won gold in Budapest's 5000m world finals and has vowed to emulate her fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in eventually becoming the best marathon runner in the world.

8. Jacques Kallis (Cricket)

One of the best all-rounders ever to play the game, Kallis is the only player in history to score more than 10,000 runs and take more than 250 wickets in both Test and ODI cricket. The Proteas ended Australia's run of Test dominance in August 2009 - the first team ever to knock them off the top of the ICC World Rankings after their introduction in June 2003. Without Kallis, it is doubtful they would have achieved this feat.

9. Asisat Oshoala (Soccer)

Oshoala, who currently plays for Bay FC in the NWSL, has taken African women's football to new heights. The Nigeria striker has been the African women's Player of the Year a record six times, thanks in large part to her stellar five seasons with Barcelona. Her 92 league goals for Barça came at a rate of roughly one every 65 minutes. There, she won the Spanish Primera Division four times, and the UEFA Women's Champions League thrice. For Nigeria, she's been part of the Super Falcons side that won the African title three times, and is set to represent the Super Falcons again at the Paris Olympics.

10. Mohamed Salah (Soccer)

Liverpool star winger/forward Salah is the club's leading goalscorer in the Premier League, having joined the Reds from Roma in 2017. Since then, the two-time African Player of the Year has scored 211 goals in all competitions for the Reds, and helped them to Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League titles. Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, marking him as one of the most clinical finishers of his generation in arguably the world's toughest league. Internationally, he's played for Egypt since 2011, finishing runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations twice.

Other Notable African Athletes

Besides the top athletes mentioned above, numerous other African athletes have achieved remarkable success in their respective sports:

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Joel Embiid (Basketball): A dominant force in the NBA, Embiid was named the NBA MVP in 2023.
Siya Kolisi (Rugby union): South Africa loose forward Siya Kolisi made history when he became first Black Springboks Test captain in 2018, and has led the Boks to two World Cup titles since then.
Yaya Toure (Soccer): A dominant midfielder who won multiple Premier League titles with Manchester City and was named African Footballer of the Year multiple times.
Wayde van Niekerk (Athletics): Van Niekerk's 2016 Rio Olympics 400m triumph in 43.03 seconds not only remains a world record to date, but a time which nobody has come close to challenging.
Israel Adesanya (MMA): Born in Lagos, although he moved to New Zealand aged 10 after a brief stint living in Ghana, Adesanya dominated the middleweight division of the UFC from 2019-2022, finally losing to Alex Pereira in November 2022 before beating him in a rematch five months later.

African Athletes Making a Difference

Many sport stars, on finding success, are returning to their roots and contributing to the economic growth and development of the communities they came from, via poverty alleviation schemes, supporting charitable causes, or investing in facilities to encourage more children to participate in sports. Like Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to change the world...Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

Here are some examples of West Africa’s biggest sport stars, who are using their platforms to help make a positive impact, transform lives, and uplift their communities:

Didier Drogba (Côte d'Ivoire, Football): Known for his peace-building efforts in his home country, Drogba used his influence to call for an end to the civil conflict and has contributed to humanitarian activities through his foundation.
Sadio Mané (Senegal, Football): Mané has donated significant amounts to fund the construction of a hospital and a secondary school in his home village, Bambali, and has also supported health authorities during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Antonio Rüdiger (Sierra Leone, Football): Rüdiger launched a charitable foundation for education in Sierra Leone, pledging funds and auctioning off his signed shirt to improve access to quality education.
Kamaru Usman (Nigeria, Ultimate Fighting Championship): Usman collaborated with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative to donate and share food items to underserved kids in Lagos, contributing to food access and nutrition.
Wilfried Zaha (Côte d'Ivoire, Football): Zaha uses his foundation to help rebuild inner-city areas, providing a secure environment for young people to engage in social activities, and also funds an orphanage run by his sister.
Anthony Joshua (Nigeria, Boxing/Olympian): Joshua has supported the Forever Hope Foundation, raising funds for children's charities and organizations, including Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in the UK.

Conclusion

African athletes continue to break barriers and achieve greatness on the global stage. Their dedication, talent, and commitment to giving back to their communities make them true role models and inspirations for future generations.