Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography

Selected biography 1

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/1

Roger Milla is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a striker. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.

Milla achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He helped Cameroon become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Four years later, at the age of 42, he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history by scoring against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Milla is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by Brazilian football player Pelé. In 2007, he was named by the Confederation of African Football as the best African player of the previous 50 years.

Selected biography 2

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/2

Abedi Pele is a retired Ghanaian footballer who served as captain of the Ghana national team. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian footballer Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique Marseille. Three of his sons, Ibrahim, André and Jordan, have also become internationals for Ghana; Ibrahim and André were selected for the 2010 World Cup, while André and Jordan played at the 2014 World Cup.

Abedi Pele was one of the pioneers of African football in Europe. One of the first great African players to make an impact on European club football, he played for teams in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and most famously France where he was very instrumental in Marseille's prominence in the European Champions League during the early 1990s. Amongst his international accolades, he was often included in FIFA "All-Star" selections and captained the African All-Stars in their victory over their European counterparts in the 1997 Meridian Cup.

Selected biography 3

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/3

Didier Drogba is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for American club Phoenix Rising. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. In October 2012, he was voted by Chelsea supporters as the club's greatest ever player.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. A late bloomer, he signed his first professional contract aged 21; it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realised his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million. His scoring success at Marseille continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals and helped the club to reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

In the summer of 2004, Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won another Premier League title. He went on to win three Premier League titles (clinching the Golden Boot twice in the process), four FA Cups and one League Cup. In March 2012, Drogba became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals, and made his last appearance for Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the deciding shoot-out against Bayern Munich.

Selected biography 4

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/4

Samuel Eto'o is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a striker for Qatari club Qatar SC. He trained at the Kadji Sports Academy, and also holds a Spanish passport, enabling him not to count among the "foreign players" working in the European Union.

Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with Barcelona, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European continental trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Inter Milan. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Piqué, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is the most decorated African player of all time, having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times: in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010. He was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2005.

As a member of the Cameroon national team, Eto'o was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament. He has also participated in three World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations (winning twice) and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, with 18 goals. He is also Cameroon's all-time leading scorer and third most capped player. He announced his retirement from international football on 27 August 2014.

Selected biography 5

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/5

Michael Essien is a Ghanaian footballer who currently plays for Indonesian Liga 1 side Persib Bandung. He is a midfielder who has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert energy in supporting offensive and defensive play and for his tough tackling style which has earned him the nickname "The Bison". Essien can also play as a defender, both on the right of defence and in the centre.

Essien began his career playing for Liberty Professionals in his home country. In 2000, he moved to France joining Bastia. Essien spent three seasons at the club appearing in over 60 matches before joining league champions Olympique Lyonnais in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. During his five-year stint in France, he acquired French citizenship. In 2005, Essien signed with Chelsea for a fee of £24.4 million and, at the time of his signing, was the most expensive African footballer in history. At Chelsea, Essien helped the club win the Premier League in 2006 and 2010, as well as three FA Cups and one Football League Cup. In 2008, he appeared in the UEFA Champions League Final. He has won the Chelsea Goal of the season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons.

Essien is a former Ghanaian international. At youth level, he represented his country at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the latter team finishing as runner-up. Essien made his senior team debut in January 2002 and has represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where Ghana reached the Round of 16. He is often referred to as "the Bison" for his tough tackling style, boundless energy and physical presence on the pitch.

Selected biography 6

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/6

Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese professional footballer who currently plays for Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir as a striker. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Metz, Monaco and Real Madrid. He was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008.

Adebayor represented the Togo national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country's début, and to date only, appearance at the World Cup. In January 2010, Adebayor was one of the players involved when the Togo team's bus came under gunfire on the way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, after which he retired from national team duty. In 2013 he returned to the Togo team for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, where he helped them to qualify for the quarterfinals. He is currently Togo's all-time top goalscorer with 27 goals.

Selected biography 7

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/7

Yaya Touré is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder. He has played for and captained the Ivory Coast national team.

Touré is known for combining passing ability and physical power with technique. A versatile player, he aspired to be a striker during his youth and has played centre back, including for FC Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. He frequently plays as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country and often switches from defensive and offensive positions throughout matches. Touré began his playing career at Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas, where he made his debut aged 18. He was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

His performances attracted attention from Europe, playing for clubs in various European leagues. Touré played for Beveren in Belgium, Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine, Olympiacos in Greece, and AS Monaco in France. In 2007, Touré moved to Barcelona, playing over 100 matches for the club and was part of the historic 2009 Barcelona team which won six trophies in one calendar year.

Yaya Touré then moved to Premier League club Manchester City in 2010, where he has since scored a number of key goals for the Citizens – most notably the only goals in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and final. Touré has a distinguished international career with 82 caps for the Ivory Coast, representing the team in their first appearance in a FIFA World Cup, in the 2006 competition, and also played in the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. He is the younger brother of his Ivory Coast teammate Kolo Touré. They also played together at Manchester City for three years, before Kolo was transferred to Liverpool in 2013. Yaya himself left the club at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Selected biography 8

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/8

Mohamed Aboutrika is a retired Egyptian footballer. Aboutrika played as a second striker and as an attacking midfielder for Tersana, Al Ahly in Egypt, and Baniyas in UAE. He was also one of the most notable stars in the Egyptian national team.

Aboutrika came second in the African Footballer of the Year award in 2008 after Emmanuel Adebayor, and was one of five nominees for the 2006 award, and one of the ten nominated for the 2013 award. Aboutrika was chosen Africa Best Player of the Year 4 times in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2013. The award is given by CAF for the players based in Africa.

Aboutrika won with the Egyptian national team the African Cup of Nations in 2006, and he scored the winning goal to help Egypt win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He helped his team Al-Ahly to get the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006.

Selected biography 9

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/9

Vincent Enyeama is a Nigerian footballer who currently plays for Lille in the French Ligue 1 as a goalkeeper. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team from 2002 until October 2015, serving as its captain from 2013 until his retirement from international football. He is his nation's most capped player of all time, ending his international career with 101 caps.

Enyeama began his career with Enyimba, with whom he won the CAF Champions League twice. After three seasons with Enyimba and one with Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now known as Heartland), Enyeama moved to Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv in Israel. In his first season at the club, the team qualified for the final of the Israel State Cup and achieved fourth place in the Israeli Premier League, which qualified the team for the UEFA Cup.

Enyeama signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007, helped the team avoid relegation and reach the state cup final during a poor 2007–08 season. He won the "Player of The Year" award in 2008–09, and in 2009–10 Hapoel won the double. On 18 August 2010 he scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season with a penalty against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League qualifiers.

In June 2011, Enyeama moved to Lille in the French Ligue 1 for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. He made his debut on 18 October 2011 against Inter Milan in the 2012 UEFA Champions League group stage, where Inter managed a 1–0 victory. In August 2012, Enyeama agreed a one-year loan deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv and was presented to the media by Maccabi's Sports Director Jordi Cruyff at 8 August 2012. Upon his return to Lille, club manager René Girard picked Enyeama as his first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Steeve Elana, who had been the first-choice goalkeeper when Rudi Garcia was the club manager.

Selected biography 10

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/10

Victor Wanyama is a Kenyan footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the Kenya national team.

After a successful trial, Wanyama signed for Beerschot AC on a four-year contract in summer 2008. He made his debut in a League match at the end of the 2008–09 season. In the summer of 2010 Scottish Premier League club Celtic attempted to sign Wanyama but Beerschot did not allow him to leave. Russian club CSKA Moscow also attempted to sign him, but they failed as well. He scored his first goal for Beerschot on 11 December 2010, a 77th minute equaliser against Westerlo.

On 9 July 2011, Wanyama completed a £900,000 move to Celtic from Beerschot AC, who had failed to sign him a year earlier. He signed a four-year contract and in doing so became the first ever Kenyan to play in the SPL. Wanyama chose 67 as his squad number to honour the Lisbon Lions, Celtic's 1967 European Cup winning team. He made his Celtic league debut in a 1–0 loss to St Johnstone on 21 August 2011. He played in central defence rather than his favoured central midfield role.

Wanyama became the first ever Kenyan player to score in the UEFA Champions League when he scored the first goal in Celtic's historic 2–1 win over Barcelona on 7 November 2012. He scored the first goal with a powerful header before Tony Watt added a second late on.

On 11 July 2013, Wanyama moved to Premier League club Southampton for £12.5 million making him the most expensive player to be sold by a Scottish club, surpassing the £9.5 million Russian club Spartak Moscow paid for Aiden McGeady in 2010. He became the first ever Kenyan to play in the Premier League when he made his debut for Southampton against West Bromwich Albion on 17 August 2013.

Selected biography 11

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/11 Kalusha Bwalya is a former Zambian footballer, coach and current president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). He is Zambia's most capped player, second all-time top goalscorer behind Godfrey Chitalu, and is regarded as the greatest Zambian footballer of all time. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 1988 by the magazine France Football and was nominated for the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year where he was voted the 12th-best player in the world, the first to be nominated after playing the entire year for a non-European club.

Bwalya's older brother Benjamin also played professional football, while his younger brother Joel also played for the Zambia national football team. His cousin is former Cardiff City and Welsh national team striker Robert Earnshaw.

Selected biography 12

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/12

Steven Pienaar is a retired South African professional footballer. He was a captain of the South African national team. He primarily played as a winger, but also played as an attacking midfielder. Pienaar played at club level in South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany, and England for Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Bidvest Wits. Pienaar is currently serving as an international ambassador at former club Everton.

Pienaar began his professional career at Ajax Cape Town, some 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) away from his home in Johannesburg. He was brought to the attention of Ajax CT whilst playing for the School of Excellence and was asked to join their youth academy. At the age 18, he moved to the Netherlands to join Ajax in January 2001 but did not make his Eredivisie début until 24 February 2002 – in a 1–0 victory over NAC Breda. He became a pivotal member of the Ajax team that won the Dutch League in 2002 and 2004.

In January 2006, German club Borussia Dortmund signed Pienaar on a three-year contract from Ajax. Seen as a replacement for Arsenal-bound Tomáš Rosický, Pienaar's first year with Borussia Dortmund saw him receive the number 10 shirt vacated by the Czech playmaker. Pienaar struggled at Dortmund and never felt truly accepted by the other players at the club. He then joined Everton on loan for 2007–08 and later signed a three-year contract from Dortmund for a pre-agreed fee of £2 million after payment of an initial loan fee of £350,000 in April 2008.

In January 2011, both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur had bids accepted to buy Pienaar from Everton before the South African joined Spurs for a fee of £3 million on a four-year contract. His spell at Tottenham was characterised by persistent injuries and not much impact in games which resulted him rarely featuring in the team. Late on transfer deadline day in January 2012, Pienaar completed a return to Everton on a six-month loan deal. A permanent transfer was agreed in July 2012, with Everton paying Tottenham Hotspur a fee of £4.5 million. On 19 August 2016, Pienaar signed a one-year contract with Sunderland before returning to South Africa, signing a one-year deal with Bidvest Wits in July 2017. He was released six months later and retired from professional football in March 2018.

Selected biography 13

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/13

Obafemi Martins is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua and the Nigeria national team. He is known for his speed on the ball.

After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he has since played for a number of top-division clubs around Europe. He began his senior career in 2002 at the Italian Serie A club Inter Milan, before moving to the English Premier League club Newcastle in 2006, and then the German Bundesliga club Wolfsburg in 2009. Having joined Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan in July 2010, they loaned him to Birmingham City in January 2011. In 2012, he moved to Spain to play for Levante, spending seven months at the club before joining Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.

In club football, Martins has won the Italian Serie A title, the Italian Cup (twice), and the Super Cup, all with Inter. With Birmingham he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He has played European football with Inter, Newcastle and Wolfsburg, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle. His highest scoring league seasons so far have seen him score 11 goals in the 2004–05 Serie A, and 17 2006–07 English Premier League. In international football, Martins has been in the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Selected biography 14

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/14

Frédéric Kanouté is a retired Malian professional footballer who played for several top-tier clubs in Europe, most notably for La Liga side Sevilla FC. Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first player born outside Africa to win the award.

Kanouté began his career with Lyon in France before moving to West Ham of the Premier League in 2000. After a spell at their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Kanouté moved to Spanish club Sevilla where he won two consecutive UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007 in addition to various other European and domestic honours and remains the club's highest-scoring foreign player. He joined Beijing Goan in June 2012.

Despite appearing 16 times for France U-21, Kanouté was a member of the Malian squad which reached the semi-finals of the 2004 African Cup of Nations and also featured in their selections for the tournament in 2006 and 2010. His international career ended in 2010 with a total of 39 caps and 23 goals.

Selected biography 15

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/15

Marouane Chamakh is a Moroccan footballer who plays as a striker. He is described as a prototypical target man and is noted for his "tall stature" and "excellent heading ability".

Chamakh started his career training throughout various clubs in the Aquitaine region. In 2000, he signed with Bordeaux. Chamakh made his professional debut for the club in the 2002–03 season. He spent nine years at the club and helped Bordeaux win the Coupe de la Ligue in 2007. In the 2008–09 season, Chamakh won his first league title as Bordeaux were crowned champions for the first time since the 1998–99 season. The club also won the Coupe de la Ligue completing the league and league cup double. In May 2010, Chamakh joined Arsenal of the Premier League on a free transfer after agreeing to a four-year contract with the club. In October 2010, Chamakh became the first player in UEFA Champions League history to score in six consecutive matches.

Although born and raised in France, Chamakh chose to play international football for Morocco, because he had Moroccan parents. He made his national team debut in July 2003 and has played at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including the 2004 tournament in which Morocco finished runner-up. In August 2010, he captained the national team for the first time.

Selected biography 16

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/16

Madjid Bougherra is a retired Algerian professional footballer who played as a defender.

Bougherra began his professional football career with French club Gueugnon before having spells with English sides Crewe Alexandra, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic. Bougherra moved to Rangers in the summer of 2008 for a fee of £2.5 million, he made his debut against Falkirk in August of that year. Bougherra made 113 appearances for Rangers and was a key part of the team that won the Scottish Premier League championship in seasons 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11. In August 2011 Rangers sold Bougherra to Lekhwiya for £1.7 million.

An Algerian international since 2004, Bougherra has participated in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where Algeria finished fourth, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He served as the team's captain for the 2014 World Cup.

Selected biography 17

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/17

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and captains the Gabonese national team. He is known for his pace and his capability of playing as a striker or a winger.

Beginning his career with Italian club A.C. Milan, Aubameyang was loaned out to Dijon FCO for the 2008–09 season in order to gain some first team experience. His performances there led him to appear in World Soccer's Talent Scout section in the summer of 2009. On 24 June 2009, it was announced Ligue 1 club Lille OSC had decided to sign Aubameyang on loan. The following season, he was loaned out again, this time to AS Monaco. On 21 August 2010, Aubameyang scored his first goal for Monaco in an away match versus RC Lens. He scored again on 29 August at home to AJ Auxerre where his Monaco team won 2–0.

In January 2011, after six months at Monaco, Aubameyang was loaned to AS Saint-Étienne until the end of the 2010–11 season. In July 2011, the loan was extended for the entire 2011–12 season. On 22 December 2011, Aubameyang signed with Saint-Étienne on a permanent deal. After one and a half successful seasons with the club, he joined Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on a five year contract. Winning the 2013 DFL-Supercup in his debut, he received plaudits for his technical skills and finishing; gaining comparisons to Thierry Henry. He made his Bundesliga debut and scored a hat-trick against FC Augsburg, including a goal from his first shot in the league.

In the following seasons at Dortmund, Aubameyang established himself as one of the best forwards in the world, as he recorded 141 goals in 213 games, including a 31-goal haul in 2016–17 as he won the league's top scorer award. However, after only recording another DFL-Supercup and a DFB-Pokal to his name in Germany, he voiced his desire to leave, and relocated to England to join Premier League side Arsenal in a club-record deal worth £56 million (€64 million), making him the most expensive Gabonese player of all time.

Selected biography 18

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/18

Asamoah Gyan is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Turkish side Kayserispor and captains the Ghanaian national team.

Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier League club Liberty Professionals scoring a prolific ten goals in sixteen matches then spent three seasons with Serie A club Udinese via two seasons loan at Modena netting on fifteen occasions in fifty-three league matches and at Udinese where he scored eleven times in thirty-nine league matches. In 2008, Gyan joined Ligue 1 club Rennes, netting fourteen times in forty-eight league matches during two seasons. In 2010, Gyan joined Premier League club Sunderland, breaking the club's transfer record and netting on ten occasions in thirty-four Premier League matches during two seasons. In 2011, Gyan joined Al Ain of the UAE Pro-League on loan and become the league's top-goalscorer, scoring twenty-four times in twenty-seven matches. In the following season, Gyan permanently joined Al Ain and once again became the league's top-goalscorer while he helped Al Ain retain the UAE Pro-League title, scoring an impressive twenty-eight goals in thirty-two matches. In the 2013–14 season, Gyan prolifically scored on forty-four occasions in forty matches with Al Ain.

Gyan is the all-time leading goalscorer of the Ghana national team. He represented his nation at the 2006 World Cup scoring the fastest goal of the tournament after 68 seconds, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, scoring three goals in 2010, and also missing a crucial penalty kick in the last minute of extra-time in a quarter-final defeat at the hands of Uruguay. In 2014, at the 2014 World Cup Gyan became the top African goalscorer in the history of the World Cup.

Selected biography 19

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/19

McDonald Mariga is a Kenyan footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. He began his playing career at Ulinzi Stars before moving first to Tusker and then to Kenya Pipeline while still at school. He moved to Sweden in 2005 to play for third Division side Enköpings SK. After only one season at ESK, he signed for Helsingborgs IF before the 2006 season. Following initial interest from Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, Mariga looked set to sign for the Premier League team, but work permit issues held up the deal which was supposed to have cost around €2.7million.

Mariga moved to the Serie A club Parma initially on loan in August 2007. The Italian club had an option to buy him in the summer for a fee of 20 million Swedish kronor (around €2 million). Heagreed to a four-year deal to keep him at Serie A side Parma for four years until the end of June 2012, after the club paid a transfer fee for 18 million Swedish Kronor (approx. €1.94 million). In January 2010 he was set to sign for English Premier League club Manchester City, but failed to obtain a work permit. Had Mariga successfully signed for Manchester City, he would have been the first player from the East African country to sign for a club in the top English league - a milestone later achieved by his brother Victor Wanyama, upon his transfer to Southampton in July 2013.

On 1 February 2010, the last day of the transfer window, Mariga moved to Inter Milan in a co-ownership deal. Following the move, Inter president Massimo Moratti hailed Mariga's move as the "best thing that could have happened" to the club in the January transfer window. On 17 June 2010, Inter bought him outright and bought back Biabiany for a reported fee around €10 million. At the start of the 2011–12 season Mariga was loaned out to La Liga club Real Sociedad. It meant Inter had a non-EU transfer quota which they used on winter signing Juan and Fredy Guarín (the other quota was obtained from Philippe Coutinho). As Mariga was unable to return to Inter, he was loaned back to Parma instead for the 2012–13 season and he scored his only goal against Lazio. He returned to Inter Milan at the end of the season, and was released by the club in May 2014. He rejoined Parma on 4 September 2014 before being released after the club went bankrupt in March 2015 and joining Latina in January 2016. On 31 July 2017, Mariga signed a one-year deal with Spanish Segunda División club Real Oviedo.

Selected biography 20

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/20

Itumeleng Khune is a South African professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kaizer Chiefs in the Premier Soccer League, as well as the South African national team, both of which he is captain. He is known for his quick reflexes and his distribution which has been hailed as "the best you will see anywhere" by former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld.

Khune started out as a defender when he arrived for trials at Chiefs in 1999, but assumed the gloves by chance after he experienced chest problems during a junior game and found himself being reduced to a ball boy. Diving for balls that had missed the target he caught the attention of youth coach Terror Sephoa who converted him to a goalkeeper. In 2004 he was promoted to the first team.

After three years of waiting to get any game time, Khune finally got his opportunity in the early stages of the 2007–08 season after the departure of number one goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez to German club Arminia Bielefeld. With the experienced Emile Baron often plagued by injuries, Khune was made number one by then Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral. His first season in the top-flight was highly successful as several match-winning displays for his side earned him a host of individual awards with Chiefs having the best defensive record in the league conceding only 19 goals in 30 games.

In October 2011, Khune was assigned as captain replacing Jimmy Tau. The 2012-13 season was arguably his best with Khune leading his side to a league and cup double. He was also voted into Goal.com's Goal50 which is a list of the best players of 2013. He was ranked 45th ahead of Fernandinho, Robbie Keane and Frank Lampard and behind Andrea Pirlo, Roman Weidenfeller, Victor Wanyama and James Rodríguez who were all ranked from 40 to 50. He made his 200th appearance for Chiefs against Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2014.

Selected biography 21

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/21

Sadio Mané is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Liverpool and the Senegal national team.

Having begun his career with Metz in France, he transferred to Red Bull Salzburg in 2012. After winning the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup in 2014, he was signed by Southampton. In 2015, Mané set a new Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick when he scored three times in 176 seconds during a 6–1 win over Aston Villa. He transferred to Liverpool in 2016 for a fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African player in history at that time.

Mané was part of the Senegal team at the 2012 Olympic tournament, and started every match as they advanced through Group A as runners-up to Great Britain before losing 4–2 after extra time in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Mexico. He was ruled out of the Senegalese squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a calf injury in a league match against Arsenal before returning to the squad and starting their final two group matches against South Africa and Algeria in a group stage exit. He also represented Senegal at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Selected biography 22

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/22

Eric Bailly is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for English club Manchester United and the Ivory Coast national team.

Born in Bingerville, Bailly joined RCD Espanyol's youth system in December 2011, aged 17. He only received a work permit in October of the following year, and made his senior debuts in the 2013–14 campaign with the reserves, in Segunda División B. On 5 October 2014, Bailly made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win against Real Sociedad. He went on to become a first-team regular before signing for Villarreal in January 2015. After a successful season in which the team reached the last four of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, he joined Manchester United in June 2016 for a reported £30 million.

He made his international debut for the Ivory Coast in a friendly against Nigeria on 11 January 2015. He appeared in all of his team's six matches at that year's Africa Cup of Nations, helping them to win their second title in the competition's history.

Selected biography 23

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/23

Yannick Bolasie is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Everton and the DR Congo national team.

Bolasie began his career with Rushden & Diamonds at the age of 16. He spent four months as a member of their youth team and then had a spell with Hillingdon Borough in the Southern Football League, before moving across Europe to play for Floriana in the Maltese Premier League. He returned to England in 2008 after being offered a trial with Plymouth Argyle, and impressed enough to be offered a two-year contract. He went on to play in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Barnet, Bristol City and Crystal Palace before joining Everton for a reported £25 million in 2016.

Bolasie was eligible to represent France, England and DR Congo internationally through birth, upbringing and heritage respectively. In January 2013 while playing in the Championship for Crystal Palace, Bolasie rejected the chance to represent the DR Congo in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations claiming that he did not want to disrupt making progress in his club career. In March 2013, Bolasie was again called up to the Democratic Republic of Congo squad, and made his international debut in a 2014 World Cup qualification 0–0 draw with Libya.

Selected biography 24

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/24

Mario Lemina is a Gabonese professional footballer for English club Southampton and the Gabon national team. He played for French sides Lorient and Marseille, before joining Italian side Juventus in 2015, where he won the domestic double in both of his seasons with the club.

Lemina began his career in France with the Lorient youth academy at the age of 11; he was later promoted to the first team during the 2012–13 season, his only season with the club. The following season, he joined Marseille for €4 million, although he initially struggled to gain playing time in his first year with the club, making only eight league starts during the 2013–14 season. He began to be used more frequently by manager Marcelo Bielsa during the 2014–15 season, making his breakthrough with the club as he helped the team to a fourth-place finish. On 31 August 2015,Juventus announced the signing of Lemina on a season-long loan for €500,000 with an option to buy for €9.5 million at the end of the 2015–16 season, in which he helped his team achieve a domestic double. His loan was made permanent in April 2016. On 8 August 2017, Lemina joined Southampton on a five-year deal for a club record fee of £15.4 million.

Lemina represented France at under-20 and under-21 level, winning the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup before opting to represent Gabon at senior level in June 2015. He scored on his international debut in a 3–3 friendly draw against Tunisia on 9 October 2015.

Selected biography 25

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/25

Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team as a winger.

Salah began his youth career at El Mokawloon, making his senior debut in 2010 before moving to Swiss side Basel on a four-year contract in June 2012. He made his competitive debut for the club in a UEFA Champions League preliminary stage match against Norwegian club Molde on 8 August, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute. After making 77 appearances in all competitions over his two seasons at the club, helping them win the Swiss Super League in both seasons, Salah joined English giants Chelsea for a reported fee of £11 million in January 2014. Salah struggled for playing time at the club, spending his final season-and-a-half on loan at Fiorentina and Roma, for whom he signed permanently in August 2016 for a reported €15 million.

Following consistent match-winning performances in Rome to lead them to second-placed finish and a record points-tally in 2017, Salah relocated back to the Premier League to sign for Liverpool for a then club-record fee of £36.9 million. During his second spell in England, Salah adapted his game from a natural winger to a complete forward, and quickly became the focal point of the team. He would go on to break the club's scoring record for a debut season, receiving the Premier League Golden Boot after registering a record 32 goals in 36 league games. He also became the first player to win three Premier League Player of the Month awards in the same season. His record breaking performances saw him receive a number of other accolades at the end of the 2017–18 season, including the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the Football Writers' Player of the Year, and the PFA Fans' Player of the Year awards. He was also named in the 2017–18 PFA Team of the Year.

Salah represented Egypt at under-20 and under-23 level before making his senior debut against Sierra Leone on 3 September 2011. He was an important part of the squad that participated in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, notching 2 goals and 2 assists to help his side reach the final where they lost to Cameroon.

Selected biography 26

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/26

André "Dede" Ayew is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe, on loan from Championship club Swansea City, and the Ghana national team. He is the second-born son of three-time African Footballer of the Year and FIFA 100 member Abedi "Pele" Ayew and has two brothers, Ibrahim and Jordan, who also are professional footballers. In 2011, Ayew was named the BBC African Footballer of the Year and Ghanaian Footballer of the Year.

Ayew began his career in Ghana, playing for Nania, while debuting for the club at age 14. In 2005, he signed with his father's former club, Marseille, and spent two seasons in the club's youth academy before making his debut in the 2007–08 season. Ayew spent the following two seasons on loan with Lorient and Arles-Avignon, helping the latter team earn promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time. In 2010, he returned to Marseille and became an integral part of the first team under manager Didier Deschamps, making over 200 appearances and winning consecutive Trophée des champions and Coupe de la Ligues in both 2010 and 2011.

Ayew has been a full international for Ghana since 2008 and has earned over 65 caps. At youth level, he starred for and captained the under-20 team that won both the 2009 African Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He has played in two FIFA World Cups (2010 and 2014), as well as five Africa Cup of Nations (2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017), helping them finish runner-up in 2010 and 2015 (in which he was also top goalscorer).

Selected biography 27

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/27

Christopher Samba is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Aston Villa.

Samba began his career in France with Ligue 2 club Sedan. After only three appearances, he was signed by Bundesliga side Hertha BSC, where he struggled for playing time before joining Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League for £450,000 on 25 January 2007. He was appointed club captain ahead of the 2010–11 season and went on to make 185 appearances for the club in all competitions before moving to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in February 2012. His three seasons at the club were split by a short return to English football with Queens Park Rangers for six months. In August 2013, Samba left Anzhi for Dynamo Moscow, where he made over 50 appearances in all competitions before joining Panathinaikos in August 2016.

Samba made his debut for the Republic of the Congo in 2004 at the age of 20.

Selected biography 28

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/28

Riyad Mahrez is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for English club Manchester City and the Algerian national team as a winger.

Mahrez began his career as a youth player for French club AAS Sarcelles. He turned professional in 2009 with Quimper, where he played for only one season before moving to Le Havre, spending a total of three years with them, initially playing for their reserve team and then becoming a first-team regular. In January 2014, Mahrez signed for English side Leicester City, helping them win the Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season. In the 2015–16 season he was the Algerian Footballer of the Year, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, and was a member of the Premier League PFA Team of the Year as he helped Leicester City win the Premier League. Mahrez was also named the CAF African Footballer of the Year and the BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2016.

Mahrez made his international debut for Algeria in 2014 and represented them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Selected biography 29

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/29

Kolo Touré is a retired Ivorian footballer. He played as a defender for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and the Ivory Coast national team. He is currently technical assistant at Celtic as well as a member of the coaching staff for the Ivory Coast.

Beginning his career at ASEC Mimosas, Touré moved to Arsenal in 2002, where he made 326 appearances for the club and was a member of the famous "Invincibles" side that finished 2003–04 Premier League season without losing a single game. In 2009, he moved to Manchester City, where he was joined a year later by his younger brother Yaya Touré, helping City earn its first league title in 44 years. In 2013 Touré transferred to Liverpool. He is one of the six players who have won the Premier League with two different clubs, having won it with Manchester City and Arsenal. He also won the Scottish Premiership with Celtic.

Touré is the second-most capped player for the Ivory Coast, with 118 appearances from 2000 to 2015. He represented the team at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments. Touré also represented the Ivory Coast at seven Africa Cup of Nations tournaments between 2002 and 2015, helping them finish runner-up in 2006 and 2012, while winning in 2015.

Selected biography 30

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/30

Wahbi Khazri is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays for French Ligue 1 side Saint-Étienne and the Tunisia national team.

Born in Ajaccio, Khazri started his career with local side Jeunesse Sportive Ajaccio before moving to SC Bastia. He received his first call up to the senior squad for their match against Amiens SC on 20 February 2009. After five years in Bastia, Khazri signed a four-year contract with FC Girondins de Bordeaux in July 2014, where he made 64 appearances over two seasons before signing for Sunderland in January 2016.

After making his debut for the Tunisia national under-20 team in 2009, Khazri went on to represent France at under-21 level before switching allegiances again to represent Tunisia at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Khazri also represented Tunisia at the 2015 and 2017 competitions.

Selected biography 31

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/31 Kennedy Mweene (born 11 December 1984) is a retired Zambian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. On club level he spent most of his career in South African Premier Soccer League clubs Free State Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns. For the Zambia national team, he is the most capped player, having represented Zambia more than 120 times.

Selected biography 32

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/32

Musa training with Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

[[Ahmed Musa|Ahmed Musa OON MON]] (/ˈɑːxmɛd muːsə/ ; born 14 October 1992) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger for the Nigeria national team. He is currently playing for Kano Pillars in the NPFL.

Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, after scoring twice against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Musa is also the first Nigerian to score in two FIFA World Cup competitions, after scoring another brace against Iceland in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With 108 appearances, he is Nigeria's most capped player since November 2021. Musa was a member of the Saudi club Al Nassr's squad that won the Saudi Premier League and Saudi Super Cup, both in 2019.

Selected biography 33

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/33

Fathy with Egypt at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Ahmed Fathy Abdelmonem Ahmed Ibrahim (Arabic: أحمد فتحي; born 10 November 1984) is an Egyptian former professional footballer who played as a full-back.

Considered by some as one of Africa's best-ever full-backs, Fathy started his career with Egyptian side Ismaily SC before moving to England to play in the Premier League with Sheffield United in 2007. Fathy returned to Egypt after only a few months however, signing to Al Ahly where he remained until April 2020 where he signed to Pyramids FC, whilst also spending some time on loan at both Kuwait side Kazma and Hull City back in England. Alongside his club career, Fathy represented Egypt from 2002, playing over one hundred games and scoring nine goals for his country.

Selected biography 34

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/34

Song with Cameroon in 2008

Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who was most recently the manager of the Cameroon national team.

Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back, but could also operate at right-back. Internationally, he played at a record eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and served as captain in five (the ones he was not captain for were South Africa 1996, Burkina Faso 1998 and Angola 2010), a record, and holds the record of most consecutive games played in the tournament with 35 first team games. He has won two CAF Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002. In 2009, Song was dropped as Cameroon skipper by new coach Paul Le Guen, who eventually appointed Samuel Eto'o as the new captain, which later caused concerns, as Song had never been on the bench in more than eleven years for Cameroon. With 137 appearances, Song also holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Cameroon national team and has played in four World Cups, in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010.

Song started his professional career with Metz and helped the club to win the Coupe de la Ligue in 1996. After appearing at the 1998 World Cup, he joined Salernitana, newly promoted to the top-flight Italian Serie A. In January 1999, he left Italy to start successive stints with Liverpool, West Ham United and 1. FC Köln, but after failing to hold down a first-team place, he returned to France to play for Lens. He stayed there until 2004, before moving on to Turkey, where he spent four years with Galatasaray, winning two Süper Lig titles and the Turkish Cup. Song then signed a contract with Trabzonspor in 2008, where he won another Turkish Cup and stayed until 2010.

Selected biography 35

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/35

Belloumi in 2017

Lakhdar Belloumi (Arabic: لخضر بلومي; born on 29 December 1958) is an Algerian former football player and manager. A former attacking midfielder, he is widely considered the best Algerian player of all time and one of the best players in Africa. He is said to have invented the "Blind Pass". He was named the fourth-best African player of the century by IFFHS. He holds the record as the most capped Algerian player with 100 national caps (147 caps not recognized by FIFA) and is also the third best goalscorer of the Algerian national team in all time with 28 goals (34 goals not recognized by FIFA).

Belloumi's goal against reigning European champions West Germany earned Algeria a stunning 2–1 victory in their World Cup debut in Spain '82.

Selected biography 36

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/36

Maâloul with Al Ahly at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup

Ali Maâloul (Arabic: عَلِيّ مَعْلُول; born 1 January 1990) is a Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly and the Tunisia national team.

Selected biography 37

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/37 {{{text}}}

Selected biography 38

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/38 {{{text}}}

Selected biography 39

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/39 {{{text}}}

Selected biography 40

Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/40 {{{text}}}

The Selected biography box on the portal chooses one of the following at random when displaying the page. Follow the instructions below for adding a new biography to the list.

Usage

Template

{{Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/Layout
|link    = 
|image   = 
|size    = 
|caption = 
|text    = 
}}

Note that the prefix Image: is not required when using this template, also - the template will auto-wikilink the biography entered in the link= field. Further information on this template can be found at Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/Layout.

To add a new biography

1. Click on the next successive empty entry or red link from this page.
2. Paste the above layout template if it isn't already there.
3. Write three or four paragraphs in the text field using information from the selected biography, you may find it useful to examine the existing entries for an idea of the length required.
4. Ensure the main title of the biography is in bold and add this same biography to the link field.
5. Add a free image and caption.
6. Preview the page, check that the image size is correct. If the image is too big, add 100px to the size field.
7. Save the page.
8. Go to the main portal page.
9. Click on edit page.
10. Update |max= to its new total for the {{Random portal component}} on the main page. Make sure that |max= is the same numerical value as the biography entry added above, i.e. if you added biography 21, then |max=21.
    {{Random portal component|max= |header=Selected biography|subpage=Selected biography}}
11. Copy the following to the biography's talk page.
    {{Africa football portal selected|biography}}