The Africa Cup of Nations is a tournament famed for its drama and cruelty, often denying even the greatest stars their ultimate continental reward. As AFCON 2025 unfolds in Morocco this December, OLAMIDE ABE reflects on ten legendary players who defined eras yet never lifted Africa’s most coveted trophy

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

105 caps, 65 goals

Greatest achievement: Winning the 2012 UEFA Champions League and being a four-time Premier League winner with Chelsea.

AFCON heartbreak: Runner-up in 2006 and 2012.

Didier Drogba is the ultimate paradox of African football. He is a man who stopped a civil war in his country and conquered Europe with a match-winning penalty in Munich, yet he was cursed when it came to the AFCON. Drogba led Ivory Coast’s “Golden Generation,” a squad featuring Yaya Touré, Kolo Touré, and Gervinho. In 2006, they fell to Egypt in a penalty shootout.

The most painful moment, however, came in 2012. Facing a spirited Zambia team, Drogba missed a crucial penalty in regulation time. The match went to a shootout, which the Elephants lost. In a cruel twist of fate, Drogba retired from international football in 2014, just one year before Ivory Coast finally broke their jinx to win the 2015 edition. He remains the greatest African striker never to have won the title.

Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)

86 caps, 12 goals

Greatest achievement: Winning the UEFA Champions League (Ajax), the UEFA Cup (Inter Milan), the Premier League “Invincibles” title (Arsenal), and an Olympic Gold Medal (1996).

AFCON heartbreak: Runner-up in 2000.

“Papilo” is arguably Nigeria’s most decorated player in history. He survived a heart scare early in his career to become a global icon of technical brilliance. However, the AFCON was his Achilles’ heel. Kanu played in six AFCON tournaments, but his closest encounter with the trophy was the 2000 final co-hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.

In front of a packed National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria clawed back from 2-0 down to 2-2 against Cameroon. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Kanu, the man known for his ice-cold composure, missed his spot-kick.

Cameroon won, and Kanu spent the rest of his international career collecting Bronze medals (2002, 2004, 2006, 2010), never reaching the summit again.



George Weah (Liberia)

75 caps, 18 goals

Greatest achievement: The only African player to win the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year (1995).

AFCON heartbreak: Never reached the knockout stages.

George Weah is widely considered the greatest African player of the 20th century. He won everything at the club level with AC Milan and PSG, but he was a “Lone Star” in a literal sense. Liberia was never a footballing powerhouse, and Weah often had to personally fund the team’s travel and equipment.

He qualified Liberia for the AFCON in 1996 and 2002, but they were knocked out in the group stages both times.

Weah’s greatness transcends trophies, he is now the former President of his country, but on the pitch, he remains the highest-profile player to never even play in an AFCON second round.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

109 caps, 63 goals

Greatest achievement: Winning the UEFA Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool; multiple-time PL Golden Boot winner.

AFCON heartbreak: Runner-up in 2017 and 2021.

As of today in AFCON 2025, Salah is still fighting. He is the only player on this list who could potentially remove himself from it by the end of this tournament. Despite Egypt being the most successful nation in AFCON history (Seven titles), Salah joined the national team just as their “Golden Era” of 2006–2010 ended.

Salah carried a mediocre Egypt side to the 2017 final, only to lose to a late Cameroon goal. In 2021, he watched from the sidelines as his then-teammate Sadio Mane scored the winning penalty for Senegal in the final.

For a man who has broken almost every record in England, the lack of an AFCON title is the only thing standing between him and being undisputed as the greatest African player of all time.

El Hadji Diouf (Senegal)

70 caps, 24 goals

Greatest achievement: Two-time African Player of the Year (2001, 2002) and World Cup 2002 All-Star.

AFCON heartbreak: Runner-up in 2002.

Before the era of Sadio Mane, there was El Hadji Diouf. The Teranga Lion was a force of nature in the early 2000s, leading Senegal to a historic World Cup quarter-final in 2002. However, earlier that same year, Diouf faced Cameroon in the AFCON final in Mali.

The match was a tactical stalemate that ended 0-0. In the shootout, Diouf and his teammates faltered, handing the title to the Indomitable Lions.

Diouf’s career was often marred by controversy, but his talent was undeniable. He retired as a two-time Player of the Year who conquered the world’s stage but failed to conquer his own continent.