It was 1957 when the Africa Cup of Nations was first held. Ever since then, the competition has witnessed some fine goalscorers, who have helped their country with impressive numbers. Some of these names include those who have left their mark in some of the world’s best leagues. Undoubtedly, they also dominated African football and etched their name in the tournament’s record books, as the highest scorers in the Africa Cup of Nations.
5. Patrick Mboma ( Cameroon)-11
Coming in fifth position is Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma. Apart from being a part of the squad that triumphed at the 2000 Olympics, he was also joint-top scorer at the 2002 and 2004 Africa Cup of Nations. Moreover, Mboma has winner’s medals in his cabinet from the 2000 and 2002 editions of AFCON.
4. Hassan El-Shazly (Egypt)- 12
With an impressive 12-goal tally in the competition, El-Shazly is one of Egypt’s most decorated players of all-time. His high point in international games was his six goals at the 1963 AFCON tournament.
3. Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria)- 13
Perhaps Nigeria’s greatest forward ever, Yekini is known for his class acts during the 1992 and 1994 AFCONs. He came on top of the goalscoring charts at both editions and helped his team secure the title in 1994.
2. Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast) -14
Another Ivorian on the list, Laurent Pokou was a serial goalscorer in his time. Despite the lack of silverware, his abilities in front of goal were more than enough.
Similar to Yekini, Pokou was declared the winner of the Golden Boot at the 1968 and 1970 editions. He netted a combined 14 times in just eight appearances across both years. This included the match against Ethiopia, where the marksman scored five times.
1. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) -18
The former Barcelona and Chelsea forward bettered Pokou’s record back in 2008 when he became the highest scorer in Africa Cup of Nations history. Not only did he win the competition in 2000 and 2002, but he was also the recipient of the Golden Boot in 2006 (joint) and 2008.
