African nations may not be powerhouses on the international stage but they have long produced some of the world's most devastating footballers.
You need only cast your eye back over the past two decades of the Premier League to see the superstars Africa has provided the world's most prestigious division, with the likes of Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Michael Essien having all dazzled English audiences.
However, some of Africa's greatest talents are still plying their trade at the elite level, with a new generation of up-and-coming standouts rubbing shoulders with the continent's exceptional veterans.
Here are the best African footballers in the world right now - ranked.
Al-Riyadh v Al-Nassr: Saudi Pro League
Mane has faded into the background at Al Nassr / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages
Only one African player, George Weah, has won the Ballon d'Or previously, but Sadio Mane came darn close in 2022. After a sensational campaign for club and country, the Senegal star finished second in the vote behind runaway victor Karim Benzema.
Mane had already left Liverpool by the time he earned silver, with his stock having taken a hit in the years since his Anfield departure. A dreadful spell at Bayern Munich saw him make the lucrative switch to Al Nassr in 2023, with the experienced winger no longer testing himself against the world's best.
Yves Bissouma
Bissouma is a gritty midfielder / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Alongside fellow African midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, Mali international Yves Bissouma continues to impress in the Tottenham Hotspur midfield. Combative and tireless, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man is among the Premier League's most impressive holding players when on song.
Becoming more consistent is the challenge that faces Bissouma, who, much like Spurs tends to blow hot and cold. Still, he's a top talent and an integral cog in the Ange Postecoglou machine with his hunger in the challenge.
Omar Marmoush
Marmoush is making waves in Germany / Alex Grimm/GettyImages
Free transfers don't come much better than Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian had already proven a livewire for Wolfsburg during the 2022/23 season before rocking up at Eintracht Frankfurt for zilch. It's fair to say that he has hit the ground running with the Eagles.
Marmoush dazzled in his first season in Frankfurt, scoring 17 times in all competitions - a tally he is set to smash this season. The versatile striker has terrorised Bundesliga defences with his pace and ruthlessness and has morphed into an exceptional forward.
Brahim Díaz
Diaz is a useful player for Real Madrid / Flor Tan Jun/GettyImages
In case you missed it, yes, Brahim Diaz now represents Morocco on the international stage. Having made a single appearance for the Spanish national team, the Real Madrid forward switched allegiances in 2024 and already finds himself accumulating an impressive number of goals for the Atlas Lions.
Diaz's usefulness at club level has diminished since his return to the Santiago Bernabeu, with the attacking midfielder used as a bit-part player by Carlo Ancelotti over recent years. Regardless, he has often shown his capabilities when stepping in for superstars in the Spanish capital.
Bryan Mbeumo
Mbeumo continues to defy expectations at Brentford / Alex Livesey/GettyImages
Bryan Mbeumo has quietly been one of the Premier League's most impactful and consistent forwards over the past few years. The Cameroon international has a powerful left foot yet the deftness required of world-class wide players.
Thomas Frank often utilised Mbeumo in conjunction with the clinical Ivan Toney but the winger has thrived in the absence of his former teammate, developing a similarly impressive relationship with fellow African star Yoane Wissa.
Victor Boniface
Boniface has been integral to Bayer Leverkusen's success / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Victor Boniface was an integral part of Bayer Leverkusen's jaw-dropping Bundesliga triumph in 2023/24. The Nigerian scored goals for fun early in the campaign for Die Werkself, even if injuries limited his effectiveness down the stretch.
The imposing centre-forward has proven an extremely astute signing from Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium and he's already making good on his enormous potential. Boniface is a defender's nightmare when fit and firing.
Edmond Tapsoba
Tapsoba is another sparkling in Leverkusen / Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/GettyImages
Bayer Leverkusen's African talent is not limited to Boniface, with Burkina Faso international Edmond Tapsoba marshalling their defence at the other end of the pitch. Having formed part of a commanding centre-back trio under Xabi Alonso, Tapsoba was also crucial in Leverkusen's maiden Bundesliga triumph.
Tapsoba's athleticism and aggression in the challenge make him a difficult man to bypass, with plenty of Europe's more traditional giants keeping close tabs on his progress in Germany.
Mohammed Kudus
Kudus has been a breath of fresh air at West Ham / Visionhaus/GettyImages
West Ham United fought off some of Europe's grandest sides to secure the signature of Mohammed Kudus in 2023, with the former Ajax forward having caught the eye domestically and in Europe for the Amsterdam club.
Kudus quickly endeared himself to West Ham supporters with his blend of flair, energy and clean ball-striking, impressing with 14 goals in his first season in London. There's still more to come from the excellent Ghanaian, either with the Hammers or elsewhere.
Andre Onana
Onana is finding his feet at Old Trafford / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Andre Onana's first season at Manchester United was, well, extremely difficult. However, even towards the tail end of his debut campaign, the Cameroon international began to show evidence of the £47.2m goalkeeper that the Red Devils had scouted at Inter.
The 2024/25 season has seen Onana grow in confidence and he is far and away Africa's strongest stopper having already made some remarkable saves (and double saves) for United during the current campaign.
Nicolas Jackson
Jackson is making good on his potential / Carl Recine/GettyImages
The much-maligned Nicolas Jackson has transformed his reputation in 2024/25. Having become synonymous with glaring misses in his debut campaign at Chelsea, the Senegalese striker evidently worked hard on fixing his profligacy over the summer and came back a different player.
Jackson still boasts the athleticism, pace and work ethic that made him an enormous threat in 2023/24, but he has added the unrelenting finishing of an elite-level goalscorer. £32m now looks an absolute steal for the Blues.
Borussia Dortmund v FC St. Pauli 1910 - Bundesliga
Guirassy is in exceptional goalscoring form / Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/GettyImages
Serhou Guirassy's first stint in German football was nothing special. He scored nine times in 45 appearances for Koln before returning to France. However, Stuttgart took a chance on the Guinea international in 2023/24 and it proved a transformative addition.
Guirassy scored 30 goals in 30 games as Stuttgart finished Bundesliga runners-up and qualified for the Champions League, earning the arresting centre-forward a high-profile move to Borussia Dortmund. He has already found goals simple to come by at Signal Iduna Park.
Ademola Lookman
Lookman was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or / Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/GettyImages
Ademola Lookman was the only African player to be nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. That was in large part down to his heroics in the 2023/24 Europa League final, netting a sensational hat-trick for Atalanta against the previously unbeaten Leverkusen.
A respectable 14th-placed finish highlights the steps Lookman has taken since several unsuccessful spells with different English clubs, with the Wandsworth-born winger and Nigeria international having found a loving home in Bergamo.
Achraf Hakimi
Hakimi is one of the world's best full-backs / Jean Catuffe/GettyImages
Achraf Hakimi is not just Africa's most talented defender, he's among the best right-backs in world football. The Moroccan, who was eye-catching in his nation's run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, sparkled at Dortmund before making the move to Inter in 2020.
One year, seven goals and a Serie A title later, Hakimi moved to Paris Saint-Germain, where he has only grown his reputation as an exceptional attack-minded full-back. Few can burst up and down the flanks with the same quality and intensity as Hakimi.
Victor Osimhen
Osimhen made the surprise loan move to Galatasaray / Ahmad Mora/GettyImages
The 2023 African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen forged a reputation as one of the world's most impressive strikers during his time with Napoli. However, a rather public falling out has seen him shipped out on loan to Galatasaray for the 2024/25 campaign.
Naturally, the Nigeria international has made a swift goalscoring start in Istanbul, piquing the interest of Europe's giants once again. Should he get his next move right, Osimhen could well rival Erling Haaland over the next decade.
Mohamed Salah
Salah is another level / Michael Steele/GettyImages
There can be no debate over Africa's greatest talent: Mohamed Salah.
Having been one of football's most consistent and lethal forwards over the past eight years, the multiple African Footballer of the Year winner has set the standard at Liverpool and shows few signs of slowing down in the near future.
Boasting a remarkable physique, turbo-charged pace and an earth-shattering left foot, Salah may well be the best African player of all-time following a sensational spell on Merseyside.
READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL
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