Ranking the 5 best African forwards in the world right now
So far, the 2021-22 season has been one of impressive performances from African strikers across Europe from the English Premier League to the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Eredivisie.
Some of the best players in Europe's top competitions are Africans, a massive improvement for the continent in terms of performance on the bigger stages. African forwards like Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and a number of others have dominated Europe in the past, but there was a lean spell after their retirement.
However, there is plenty of promise now with the current generation. Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has emerged as the torch-bearer and is one of the deadliest forwards in the world, scoring at an alarming frequency. Together with Sadio Mane as starters for Liverpool, he won the Premier league and UEFA Champions League.
For the current season, here is a list of the five most prolific African forwards in Europe right now:
#5 Victor Osimhen
Africa's most expensive player ever, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, endured a forgettable first season for the Partenopei after joining for €70 million from Lille. As a teenager, Osimhen set the record for the most goals in a single FIFA U17 World Cup tournament, but struggled to live up to expectations for long.
The 22-year-old Nigerian was still finding his feet in the Serie A when he contracted COVID-19. Upon his recovery from the virus, he picked up a freak shoulder injury that kept him out for a large chunk of the season. Osimhen ended the 2020-21 season well and has carried that form into the ongoing campaign.
Most goals scored at a single U-17 World Cup tournament:
◉ 10 - Victor Osimhen (2015)
◎ 9 - Florent Sinama Pongolle (2001)
◎ 8 - Souleymane Coulibaly (2011)
◎ 8 - Marcel Witeczek (1985)
◎ 8 - Rhian Brewster (2017)
And now he's reaching his full potential. 📈 https://t.co/nOyqPH43jh
He has scored five goals in 11 Serie A appearances and four in three appearances in the UEFA Europa League. The Nigerian striker has become quite indispensable to Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti due to his unique skillset.
#4 Taiwo Awoniyi
Another Nigerian striker comes in at fourth place on the list. Former Liverpool youngster Taiwo Awoniyi is another whose talent was unearthed during the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup for Nigeria.
The then-youngster moved to Liverpool before being farmed out on successive loan spells due to his inability to secure a work permit. Awoniyi had a number of average loan spells before securing a permanent move to FC Union Berlin this summer.
🇳🇬🇩🇪 Taiwo Awoniyi is the highest scoring African in the Bundesliga this season, with 8 goals.
The British Home Office did not grant him a work permit, so he left Liverpool permanently. https://t.co/keFDkHV8cm
The 24-year-old has scored eight Bundesliga goals this season, putting him behind only Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland in the division. He also has two goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League and one in the DFB Pokal for Die Eisernen.