Top 10: Ranking African players at Arsenal or Barcelona

Ahead of Arsenal and Barcelona’s Champions League reunion, we rank the top 10 African players to have featured for either club.

10. Emmanuel Eboue was at one point the darling of the Arsenal supporters and has also been on the receiving end of their wrath. At the height of his powers, the Ivorian excelled at right-back, right midfield, central midfield and even as a left-sided midfielder. There was never any question of his commitment to the club, but he was not always afforded the same loyalty by Arsenal fans. He left for Galatasaray in 2011 and was last seen training at Sunderland.

9. Gervinho held a lot of promise for Arsenal when he was signed from Lille of Ligue 1. He represented the kind of not-quite-finished product that Wenger was so adept at transforming into a world-beater, but he never realised his promise in North London. In 63 appearances, he only scored 11 goals, and there is no doubt that many expected more from the Ivorian forward. He went on to Roma where he improved, before securing a big-money move to China earlier this year.

8. Alex Song has had the opportunity to represent both clubs, having played mainly for Arsenal and transferring at the height of his powers to Catalonia to join Barcelona. The box-to-box midfielder was indispensable for Arsene Wenger and broke Gunners hearts when he left for his big move to Spain. It never quite worked out for Song in La Liga, and he has subsequently returned to England on loan at West Ham United.

7. Seydou Keita is heralded as one of the most decorated African players in history, and he certainly achieved great success in Spain. He left Barcelona after four years, having won 14 trophies under Pep Guardiola and the Malian midfielder is still hungry for more. Currently plying his trade at Roma in Italy, Keita is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

6. Emmanuel Adebayor has been a fan favourite at every club he has played at, but he is also known for his controversial nature and at times it has overshadowed his excellence at some European giants. He made 143 appearances for Arsenal managing 62 goals, of which 30 came in the 2007/08 season. Over the years many have come to appreciate his efforts, while others have simply fallen out of love with the Togolese striker.

5. Lauren makes this list both as a successful player for Arsenal and as a part of an indomitable Cameroon squad. He was part of the Gunners’ 2004 Invincibles and featured for the Central African giants in two successful Cup of Nations-winning sides, at two World Cups, and win Olympic gold with the national side. Not a bad haul!

4. Kolo Toure was at the heart of the invincible Arsenal squad that went through the season unbeaten in 2004. He formed a solid partnership in defence with Sol Campbell and represents one of Wenger’s most astute buys. He moved to Manchester City, enticing his brother, Yaya Toure, to join him from Barcelona.

3. Nwankwo Kanu stands as the greatest African talent to have ever worn an Arsenal shirt. The Nigerian striker was a two-time African Player of the Year and won the Premier League twice while at Arsenal, and has won a plethora of other honours including the Champions League, Uefa Cup and the FA Cup. It’s astonishing that the Cup of Nations eluded him.

2. Yaya Toure was an integral part of a Barcelona squad that revolutionised how football was played throughout the world, winning the Champions League in the process. The Ivorian was seen as a more defensive player by Pep Guardiola than he has been at Manchester City, and played in the holding role or in the defence, which was where he won the UCL in 2009. The four-time African Player of the Year has been arguably the key inspiration behind City’s recent rise to dominance.

1. Not only is Samuel Eto’o one of Africa’s finest frontmen, but one of the world’s greatest strikers of all time. The Indomitable Lion led the line for five years at Barcelona, where he has an impressive collection of titles. In 232 games played for Barcelona he won two Champions League titles, three La Ligas and one Copa del Rey and four other Spanish Cups. He also made decisive contributions at vital moments, and stands alone as the greatest African player to feature for either Barca or Arsenal.

Source – Goal.com

Edited by aderinwaledavid