EDITOR’S PICK:
The most thrilling aspect of the World is that everyone gets a chance to make something extraordinary happen for themselves; every player on the field has a glimmering potential to propel their team to new heights or to send them tumbling off the cliff into football oblivion.
Gyan is seldom discussed in the same breath as Abedi Ayew and Tony Yeboah, two of his famous compatriots. Despite this, the experienced forward is Africa’s highest scorer at the World Cup. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the former Black Stars captain scored his first goal against the Czech Republic. Gyan scored against Serbia, Austria, and the United States in South Africa in 2010, bringing his total to four. But he wasn’t done yet, and in Brazil 2014, the Ghanaian attacker broke through the German and Portuguese defenses for his fifth and sixth World Cup goals, respectively.
2. Roger Milla – 5 goals
Roger Milla, unquestionably one of Africa’s greatest ever players, scored four of his five World Cup goals in Italy in 1990, celebrating each one with a legendary dance routine around the corner flag. Roger Milla has a five-goal record and is well-liked across the continent. He scored four goals in the 1990 World Cup, each of which was accompanied by a unique dance. He earned a reputation for himself in 1994 when he scored the oldest goal ever scored in a World Cup event.
3. Ahmed Musa – 4 goals
At the World Cup, Nigeria has had 17 different goal scorers, but Ahmed Musa’s name is at the top of the list. Emmanuel Amuneke, Daniel Amokachi, and Kalu Uche were the only players to score two goals in the tournament until the former Kano Pillars player made his debut. Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match when he scored a brace against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Two years later, the Al Nassr attacker replicated the feat, scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Iceland, occupying the seat that many anticipated to see the great Rashidi Yekini occupy.
4. Samuel Eto’o – 3 goals
Eto’o made history by becoming the first man to win African Player of the Year four times in a row. He made his first World Cup appearance in 1998, becoming the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup until Victor Manon, who was 16 years 15 days at the time, set a new record in the 2008 FIFA World Cup. He scored Cameroon’s single goal of the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he scored the game-winning goal against Saudi Arabia in the group stage on June 6, 2002, Cameroon’s only victory of the tournament.
5. Papa Bouba Diop – 3 goals
Bouba Diop of Senegal had the same goal total as Samuel Etoo in the World Cup, but with less contested assignments. He scored three goals at the 2002 World Cup in Korea, Japan, and his inclusion in this list demonstrates that, despite its enormous natural potential, African football still emerges in forms together in a major event like the World Cup.
FURTHER READING:
6. Didier Drogba -2 goals
Drogba was an Ivory Coast international between 2002 and 2014. He captained the national team from 2006 until his retirement in 2014, scoring 65 goals in 104 appearances to become the country’s all-time leading scorer. He guided the Ivory Coast to their first FIFA World Cup berth in 2006, as well as scoring their first goal. He helped Ivory Coast qualify for their first FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in Germany in 2006. He has just 2 goals.
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