Top 5 Greatest Players Who never won the African Cup of Nations – The Africa Cup of Nations, often known as the African Nations Cup or the African Cup of Nations, is Africa’s most important football (soccer) competition. The Confédération Africaine de Football organizes the tournament, which is contested by national teams (CAF).
The format of the competition has evolved over time, with the number of teams increasing from three in 1957 to 24 in 2019, following multiple expansions. Growing interest led to the addition of qualification rounds in 1968, the same year the CAF chose to hold the tournament every two years.
The competition has served as a showcase for African players’ abilities. The tournament’s attacking, entertaining style of play captivated African spectators in the 1950s and 1960s, attracting European talent scouts, agents, and journalists.
Top 5 Greatest Players Who never won the African Cup of Nations
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is one of the best players in the world. The Chelsea Legend won a slew of awards during his time at the club, and he also captained the Ivory Coast to three World Cup appearances, including their first qualification in 2006.
Despite being the leading scorer at the 2012 Afcon, he never won the highest award, retiring before the Elephants’ stunning victory in Equatorial Guinea in 2015.
George Weah
George Weah is the only African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or (to date), yet his achievements at the club and international level fall short of his immense skill.
The Liberian president guided the Lone Stars to the Nations Cup on two occasions, but dragging them to the continental title was always going to be beyond him.
Read The world’s top ten highest-paid soccer players in 2021
Kanu Nwankwo
Kanu never won the Afcon despite a fantastic trophy cabinet that included the Champions League, Uefa Cup, Premier League, and Olympic gold.
He played in three World Cups with the Super Eagles, but his failure to lead Nigeria to continental dominance remains a blot on his record.
Despite this, the striker came close to winning five times, reaching the semi-finals on five occasions.
Michael Essien
If injuries hadn’t derailed the Bison’s career so badly in the final stages, he would have been able to assist the Black Stars to win the Nations Cup and turn one of their near-misses into a title triumph.
While he did play for Ghana in two World Cups (2006 and 2014), injuries prevented him from participating in their 2010 quarter-final run.
Sammy Kuffour
Kuffour won the Champions League with Bayern Munich, where he also won several of the Bundesliga titles, although he never won the Nations Cup with Ghana.
Kuffour’s career was winding down by the time the West Africans launched on their consecutive run of Afcon semi-final appearances, even though he was part of the squad that represented the Black Stars at the 2006 World Cup, their first appearance on the global stage.
