5 forgotten African heroes

While an African side has yet to win the World Cup, there can be no denying that some of the world’s greatest players have at times been produced by the continent – right now Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang immediately come to mind, for instance.

Plenty of African players have found themselves at the top of the sport – the likes of Samuel Eto’o and George Weah – but others succeeded massively only to somehow become forgotten today. Here are five African heroes – who have become lost to the sands of time in the modern game.

#5 Mustapha Hadji

Mustapha Hadji spent the peak of his powers at lowly Coventry

Moroccan attacker Mustapha Hadji rose to fame in the late 1990s, primarily after starring for Morocco in their group stage games at the 1998 World Cup, where he scored a cracking goal against Norway. Morocco were unlucky to be eliminated in the group stage, but Hadji did enough to earn himself the African Footballer of the Year Award for 1998 – becoming the first non-Western African player to win the award in two decades.

Perhaps the reason for Hadji becoming forgotten today lies within his club career – despite being one of the finest attacking midfielders in the world in his prime, Hadji never really got to the highest point of the game due to the clubs he played for. He won minor trophies with Nancy in France and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, but at the peak of his powers, he plied his trade at mid-table Coventry in the Premier League.

Hadji’s time at the club coincided with their most successful period, and he was so popular with the fans – helping them to a famous Boxing Day win over Arsenal in 2000 – that they took to wearing Moroccan ‘fez’ hats in tribute to the player. Coventry’s relegation in 2001 signalled the beginning of the end for Hadji, as his career petered out following short stints at Aston Villa and Espanyol. But at his best, he was a scintillating attacker, one of the very finest in the world.

#4 Finidi George

Finidi George routinely destroyed defenders as part of the famous mid-90s Ajax side

Nigeria’s Finidi George was named by the International Federation of Football History as the 10th best African player of the century, and it was for good reason – he was one of the brightest stars in Ajax’s 1994/95 Champions League winning side, and his raids into the opposition’s box from the right side of Ajax’s midfield made him one of the most menacing wingers in all of European football.

At the international level, Finidi represented Nigeria at two World Cups – 1994 and 1998 – helping them to a famous 3-2 win over Spain in the group stages of the latter, before the Super Eagles were eliminated by Denmark in the round of 16. He also won the African Cup of Nations in 1994 and scored the first penalty for Nigeria in their semi-final shootout win over the Ivory Coast.

After a narrowly missed opportunity to defend the Champions League title – Ajax lost to Juventus in the 1995/96 final – Finidi moved to Real Betis in Spain where he helped the club to an all-time best fourth place in La Liga in his first season. A stint at Ipswich Town in England was less fruitful, but Finidi would always be considered a legend by those who witnessed him destroying the opponents of Ajax in the mid 90s.

#3 Lucas Radebe

Lucas Radebe became a legend at Leeds United

Hailing from South Africa, where he started his football career with Kaiser Chiefs – the team that the band named themselves after – Lucas Radebe wasn’t expected to make much of an impact at Leeds United when he signed for the Premier League side in 1994 – in fact, he was only bought to help his fellow South African signing Phil Masinga to settle in. 11 seasons and 201 games later, he’d become a Leeds legend.

One of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders at his peak, Radebe was Leeds’ captain during their most successful period under David O’Leary in the late 90s and early 00s. He was the lynchpin of the famous Leeds side that made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2000/01, and when Leeds were surprisingly relegated just three seasons later, he stuck around and ended up retiring at Elland Road. His loyalty to Leeds was such that he supposedly turned down a move to Manchester United in 2000.

Radebe also saw success at the international level with South Africa, albeit not at the World Cup. He did score at the 2002 edition but Bafana Bafana were knocked out during the group stage, as they had been in France four years prior. He did help the side to victory in the 1996 African Cup of Nations, though, prompting the legendary Nelson Mandela to label him a “hero”. Few Leeds fans would disagree, even if most fans have long since forgotten him.

#2 Patrick M’Boma

Patrick M'Boma's goal record for Cameroon was phenomenal

While Samuel Eto’o – the most decorated African footballer of all time – and Roger Milla – part of the Italia 1990 heroics – are far better remembered by fans, a third striker from Cameroon actually has a better goals-to-games ratio than either of them. His name? Patrick M’Boma. While he played the role of a journeyman at club level – going from France to Libya via Japan, Italy and England – at international level he was pretty fantastic.

His goal record for Cameroon holds up to any international striker in the modern era – 33 goals in 57 caps, a ratio of 0.6 goals per game – and he won plenty of honours, too. Trips to the 1998 and 2002 World Cups weren’t successful although he scored at both – but his four goals helped Cameroon to the gold medal in the 2000 Olympic tournament and he also netted 7 times in the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations tournaments, enabling Cameroon to win both.

For these efforts M’Boma was named African Player of the Year in 2000, but due to the meteoric rise of his more successful – at club level at least – international teammate Eto’o, and the fact that his club career was never as successful as his efforts with his country, today he’s largely a forgotten man.

#1 Taribo West

Taribo West was instantly recognisable due to his bizarre hairstyle

While Taribo West might’ve been known more for his colourful hairstyle – green braids usually tied up on his head – than his skills on the pitch, in reality, he was one of the toughest defenders around Europe in his prime, which saw him play for French side Auxerre and Italian giants Inter Milan – with whom he captured the UEFA Cup in 1997/98, although he was sent off in the final.

As a tough-tackling defender, West’s discipline was somewhat of a problem throughout his career – he was sent off twice and booked a further six times for Auxerre in the 1994/95 season, although he also contributed to them having the meanest defence in Ligue One – conceding just 34 league goals all season. For Nigeria, he was an ever-present in their side that won the Olympic gold medal in 1996, and he also played in the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 African Cup of Nations.

Later in his career, West was faced with accusations that he was possibly 12 years older than he’d billed himself throughout his career – Partizan Belgrade’s president claimed he was 40, not 32 during his time there, but West denied this. It was a strange accusation but also one that wasn’t all that surprising given West’s colourful nature – something which makes it all that more surprising that he’s largely a forgotten man today.