The highest goalscorer in EPL remains Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast. Different African footballers from various African countries have graced the Premier League over the years. From hard tackling defenders to lethal strikers, many talented players have made a name for themselves in the Premier League. Many of these players were also instrumental in the domestic successes of their teams.
Didier Drogba helped Chelsea to Premier League titles with his goals and Kolo Toure’s heroics in defense helped Arsenal to an unbeaten Premier League season. Yaya Toure was an all-around midfielder who was also crucial to Manchester City’s rise in the Premier League.
In this piece, our focus is on the goalscorers alone. There are some African footballers that made history with the number of goals they scored in the Premier League. Some of them might not have trophies to show but their names will ever be in history’s books. Here are the finest African net busters the Premier League has ever seen.
Who is the Highest EPL African Goal Scorer?
Didier Drogba has 104 premier league Goals, which makes him the highest African goal scorer in EPL history. He is now closely followed by Mohamed Salah with 97 and Sadio Mane with 95 goals. Both salah and mane are currently playing for Liverpool Fc and there is no info or news about them leaving the club next season. It is very possible the two players break the all-time record set by Drogba come next season.
Top 10 African Goalscorers in the Premier League
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | 104 |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | 97 |
| 3 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Togo | 97 |
| 4 | Sadio Mane | Senegal | 95 |
| 5 | Yakubu Aiyegbeni | Nigeria | 95 |
| 6 | Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | 66 |
| 7 | Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon | 64 |
| 8 | Yaya Toure | Ivory Coast | 62 |
| 9 | Nwankwo Kanu | Nigeria | 54 |
| 10 | Efan Ekoku | Nigeria | 53 |
10. Efan Ekoku – 53 goals
Though he was born in England, Ekoku switched his national allegiance and represented the Nigerian at the international level. The striker began his Premier League career with Norwich in 1993 and played for them till 1994. He scored 16 goals in 38 games within that period which compelled Wimbledon to shell out a huge sum to procure his signing. It was at Wimbledon that he was more efficient in front of goal scoring 37 goals in 123 appearances
9. Nwankwo Kanu – 54 goals
Kanu’s football career saw him play at Ajax and Inter Milan before Arsenal signed him in 1999. He played with other African footballers like Lauren and Toure under Arsene Wenger. He lit up the Premier League with his calm but trickish style of play. He left Arsenal in 2004 having been part of the invincible and scoring 30 goals. The rest of his 54 goal haul came playing for West Brom and Portsmouth. The most memorable of all his goals is the fifteen minutes’ hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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8. Yaya Toure – 62 goals
Yaya Toure is an all-round midfield player. He can play as a defensive midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker or an attacking midfielder. He enjoyed a trophy-laden career in Europe but it was at Manchester City that his goalscoring abilities came to the fore. He won three Premier League titles scoring 62 goals from midfield.
Yaya Toure Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 230
- Assists: 32
- Goals: 62
- Wins: 151
- Losses: 41
7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 64 goals
Aubameyang was a proven goalscorer before he moved to England. Also one of the superstars sold too early from the former club. Arsenal signed him in the winter of 2018 after scoring over 100 goals for Borussia Dortmund throughout his stay in Germany. It did not take too long before. Auba started banging in the goals winning the golden boot in his first full season with 22 goals. He has scored 10 so far in the current premier league season.
Emerick Aubameyang Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 114
- Goals: 64
- Assist: 15
- Wins: 54
- Losses: 36
6. Riyad Mahrez – 66 goals
The Algerian winger is one of the best African footballers in the Premier League currently. Mahrez’s move to England and rise to the top is no accident he is conspicuously talented. Leicester City signed him from Le Havre at the beginning of the 2014/2015 season. The Algerian helped them to a league title the following season before departing in 2018 for Manchester City. He arrived at the Etihad with 42 league goals to his name and has scored 14 more since he moved to Manchester City.
Riyad Mahrez Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 226
- Goals: 66
- Assists: 46
- Wins: 118
- Losses:62
5. Yakubu Aiyegbeni – 95 goals
Aiyegbeni begins our top three African footballers with most goals. The former Nigeria striker played for many teams in England but only featured for Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Everton, and Blackburn in the Premier League. One of his most memorable goalscoring performance was a brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford which helped Blackburn to a surprise 3-2 away win.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 252
- Goals: 95
- Assists: 26
- Wins: 79
- Losses: 108
4. Sadio Mane – 95 goals
Mane is Salah’s partner in the goalscoring business. Mane has been in the Premier League longer than Salah and arrived at Liverpool before the Egyptian. He played for Southampton from 2014 to 2016 before moving to Liverpool where he has been more efficient in front of goal. He won the golden boot with 22 goals in 2018/2019 and also holds the record for the fastest hat-trick when he scored three goals in 2 minutes 56 seconds in the 2014/2015 season.
Sadio Mane Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 229
- Goals: 95
- Wins: 138
- Losses: 42
3. Emmanuel Adebayor – 97 goals
Adebayor might not have many trophies to show for his time in England but on his day, he is a handful for any defense. He was signed from Monaco by Arsenal in 2006 picking up Kanu’s number 25 jersey. He went on to play Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Crystal Palace making a total of 242 appearances and scoring 97 goals.
Emmanuel Adebayor Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 242
- Goals: 97
- Assists: 36
- Wins: 123
- Losses: 54
2. Mohamed Salah – 97 goals
It has been a while since African footballers made an impression at Anfield but thanks to Salah and Mane, the narrative has changed. Salah was rejected by Chelsea as surplus to requirement and went on to play for Fiorentina and Roma before moving to Liverpool. He has since won the Champions League and he is currently helping them to their first league title in decades. His 32-goal haul in the 2017/2018 season is the highest scored by any player in a 38-game season.
Mohamed Salah Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 158
- Goals: 97
- Assists: 34
- Wins: 107
- Losses: 21
1. Didier Drogba – 104 goals
Didier Drogba ranks first on our list of African footballers. He was signed from Marseille and played for Chelsea alone throughout his Premier League career. The Ivorian won four Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge scoring 104 goals in 254 games.
Didier Drogba Premier league Stats
- Appearances: 254
- Goals: 104
- Assists: 55
- Wins: 172
- Losses: 30
Conclusion on Top 10 African EPL Goal Scorers
This goalscoring ranking is only valid as things stand. With the likes of Mane and Salah scoring for fun, it is only a matter of time before they overtake some players on this list. Even Didier Drogba’s pole position is not safe.