GhanaWeb Feature by Benjamin Sackey
Several African football stars enjoyed illustrious careers and made great sacrifices for their nations, yet were unfortunate never to lift the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy.
Many of these players excelled at the club level, winning Champions League titles and major European league honours that cemented their legacies in world football.
However, despite some of them winning the African Player of the Year award and leading their nations to the World Cup, they were unable to clinch the AFCON title.
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This GhanaWeb feature highlights some African football legends who never won the AFCON.
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
Gyan played in multiple AFCON tournaments for the Black Stars from 2008 to 2019. He scored consistently, becoming Ghana’s all‑time top scorer in AFCON history.
The former Sunderland striker never won the AFCON, finishing as runner‑up in 2010 and 2015.
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Drogba, one of Africa’s most iconic footballers, was a key player and captain for Ivory Coast across several AFCON tournaments and remains one of the nation’s most prolific scorers.
He helped the Elephants reach the finals in 2006 and 2012, but they lost on penalties on both occasions.
Ivory Coast eventually won the AFCON in 2015, after Drogba had retired.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
Adebayor led Togo to their only AFCON appearance in 2006, but the team did not win the title.
Togo has never won the Africa Cup of Nations, so no Togolese player, including Adebayor, has ever earned an AFCON winner’s medal.
Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)
Kanu led Nigeria’s U‑23 team to a historic Olympic gold medal in 1996, making Nigeria the first African nation to win the tournament.
The former Super Eagles captain won the African Footballer of the Year award twice (1996 and 1999), but he never won an AFCON title.
His closest attempt came in 2000, when Nigeria lost 4–3 on penalties to Cameroon in Lagos after a 2–2 draw.
Michael Essien (Ghana)
Essien, one of Ghana’s greatest midfielders, never lifted the AFCON trophy during his international career.
His closest finishes with Ghana were:
Runner‑up (2010) – lost to Egypt
Third place (2008)
George Oppong Weah (Liberia)
Weah, one of Africa’s greatest footballers and the only African to win the Ballon d’Or (1995) never won the AFCON with Liberia.
Liberia has never won the tournament, and during Weah’s peak years, the team did not qualify for the AFCON finals.
El Hadji Diouf (Senegal)
Diouf never won AFCON, although he came close in 2002 when Senegal reached the final but lost to Cameroon.
He earned 69 caps and scored 21 goals for Senegal. Diouf starred in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, leading Senegal to the quarter‑finals with famous wins over France and Sweden, and was named to the World Cup All‑Star Team.
Mustapha Hadji (Morocco)
Hadji represented Morocco in several AFCON tournaments, including 1998 and 2004, but never won the title.
Morocco’s best finish during his era was fourth place in 2004. Hadji won the African Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and was a standout performer at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored a memorable goal against Norway.
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