The most decorated African footballers
There’s a special pride that comes with seeing African greatness stamped on every stage—Cairo nights, Milan derbies, Wembley finals, AFCON deciders. “Most decorated” can mean two different things: the sheer volume of trophies or the highest-value honors at the game’s summit. Both matter. Here’s the full picture, then a clear verdict—by total hardware and by elite prestige.
Quick comparison of the leading candidates
| Player | Total major trophies | UEFA Champions League | AFCON titles | Notable firsts and honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hossam Ashour (Egypt) | 39 | 0 | 0 | Africa’s top title collector by raw count (Al Ahly legend) |
| Hossam Hassan (Egypt) | 35 | 0 | 3 | Egypt’s record goalscorer, three AFCON wins |
| Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt) | 25 | 0 | 2 | Al Ahly icon, AFCON winner |
| Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) | 20 | 3 | 2 | AFCON all-time top scorer; UCL wins with Barcelona and Inter |
| Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) | 18 | 1 | 0 | UCL final MVP in 2012 with Chelsea |
| Mohamed Salah (Egypt) | — | 1 | 0 | All-time top African UCL scorer |
| Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) | — | 1 | 1 | Four-time CAF POTY; led CIV to AFCON 2015 |
| George Weah (Liberia) | — | 0 | 0 | Only African Ballon d’Or winner (1995) |
What “most decorated” really measures
- By total trophy count: This is the purest “hardware” metric—league titles, domestic cups, CAF trophies, and international honors. On this measure, Al Ahly legends dominate because of the club’s relentless success.
Hossam Ashour’s 39 trophies set the African benchmark, including 13 Egyptian Premier League titles and multiple CAF crowns. - By elite prestige: Here, UEFA Champions League titles, AFCON glory, and rare individual awards (like the Ballon d’Or) carry outsized weight. That’s where names like Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Mohamed Salah, and George Weah shift the conversation.
The case for each leading name
Hossam Ashour, Hossam Hassan, Mohamed Aboutrika (the trophy-count kings)
- Hossam Ashour: Africa’s all-time titles leader with 39 major trophies—13 Egyptian Premier League, 6 CAF Champions League, 5 CAF Super Cups, among others—with Al Ahly.
- Hossam Hassan: 35 major trophies across a 24-year career, including 14 league titles (11 with Al Ahly, 3 with Zamalek) and an astonishing three AFCON titles for Egypt.
- Mohamed Aboutrika: Approximately 25 major trophies, with 7 league titles and 5 CAF Champions League wins for Al Ahly, and two AFCON titles with Egypt.
Direct answer (trophy-count metric): Hossam Ashour is the most decorated African footballer by total silverware.
Samuel Eto’o (the summit specialist)
- Three UEFA Champions League titles (2006, 2009 with Barcelona; 2010 with Inter), a rare feat even among European legends.
- Two AFCON titles (2000, 2002) and the all-time AFCON scoring record (18 goals), underscoring continental dominance.
- Multiple league titles in Spain and Italy, plus a Club World Cup in the treble season under Mourinho at Inter.
Quick verdict (elite metric): Eto’o has the strongest case as the most decorated African in top-tier, global football—stacking UCLs, AFCONs, league titles, and records.
Other pillars of the pantheon
- Didier Drogba: The 2012 UEFA Champions League final hero (and man of the match), with four Premier League titles and multiple domestic cups at Chelsea; an era-defining big-game striker.
- Mohamed Salah: Champions League winner with Liverpool (2019), record African scorer in the UCL, and among the most prolific forwards in modern European competition.
- Yaya Touré: UCL winner (2009) and a four-time CAF Player of the Year who led Ivory Coast to the 2015 AFCON title—one of the most influential midfielders of his generation.
- George Weah: The only African to win the Ballon d’Or (1995). His unique individual pinnacle remains unmatched, even if his trophy count is smaller than others on this list.
Don’t forget the old and new Europe: Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Cup, Europa, and Conference.
- First African to win a UEFA club competition: Derek Smethurst (South Africa), 1971 European Cup Winners’ Cup with Chelsea.
- First African to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League: Taribo West (Nigeria), with Inter in 1998.
- Champions League lineage: From Bruce Grobbelaar (Zimbabwe) and Rabah Madjer (Algeria) in the European Cup era to modern winners like Abedi Pelé (1993), Samuel Eto’o (triple winner), Drogba (2012), Salah and Mané (2019), Mendy and Ziyech (2021).
These milestones show African excellence across every European era, from the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup to today’s Champions League and Europa League.
Final verdict
- Most decorated by total trophies: Hossam Ashour. No one in Africa has lifted more silverware. If your metric is “how many medals are in the cabinet,” Ashour sits alone at the top.
- Most decorated by elite prestige: Samuel Eto’o. Three Champions Leagues, two AFCONs, the AFCON all-time scoring record, and titles across Spain and Italy place him as Africa’s most decorated at the summit of world football.
- Singular individual pinnacle: George Weah. The only African Ballon d’Or winner remains an immortal first—no one else owns that crown.
