The European season finally came to an end on Saturday night at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where Paris Saint-Germain made history by thrashing Inter Milan of Italy by 5-0, surprisingly.
Since the rebranding of the competition in 1992, no team has ever destroyed its opponent in the finals the way PSG did to Inter Milan on Saturday night. It was an incredible end to the European season for the Parisians.
Here, Amakye Ansah, an African football writer, analyses the top 10 African footballers who performed incredibly well in the top 5 leagues in Europe.
England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France’s top tiers are the major leagues in Europe, so the analysis will be based completely on African players who played in those leagues.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco): The best right back in Europe, unquestionably, the Spanish-born Moroccan international has been consistent in European football since he moved to Dortmund in 2018.
The right back has enjoyed his best season in Europe after scoring in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and in the finals of the UEFA Champions League. Achraf Hakimi, 26, scored the opening goal for PSG after he had an empty net to do a very easy job.
The talented defender has helped PSG become the newest member of the treble winners club and has been scintillating for the Paris giants throughout the entire campaign. He deserves to be crowned the best African Footballer in Europe ahead of everyone. Treble-winning is not for the weak, and Hakimi has proven to be a strong footballer, mentally, physically and also on the pitch. In total, Hakimi scored 12 goals and provided 8 assists in all competitions.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt):
Mohamed Salah, 32, at some point was leading the Ballon d’Or race, but things suddenly changed when PSG eliminated Liverpool in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Mo Salah has won everything in England after being crowned the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season awards. Also, the Egyptian won the Golden Boot in England after scoring 29 goals and providing 18 assists. Salah simply conquered England but failed to exert his influence in Europe. He was the best player in Europe by some distance until Liverpool met PSG.
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea): Guinean towering striker Serhou Guirassy is undoubtedly Africa’s best striker now in Europe. The Dortmund number 9 shared the UCL Golden Boot with Barcelona’s Brazilian speedster, Raphinha, with both players scoring 13 goals apiece. Guirrasy, 29, scored in all of his last six Bundesliga games to help Dortmund secure a UCL slot for the 2025-26 season.
The experienced Guinean striker scored 28 Bundesliga goals last season for Stuttgart and has scored 21 in 30 games this season for Dortmund. Blessed with finishing and positioning, the giant striker is among the top 3 Africans who made the continent proud in Europe.
Frank Anguissa (Cameroon): Anguissa, 29, was one of Napoli and Serie A’s best players in the just-ended season. The Cameroonian was the man who helped tighten things up in Napoli’s middle alongside McTominay, Lobotka and Gilmour.
The Cameroonian played 35 times, scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists for Antonio Conte’s surprise Serie A champions. Probably Africa’s best central midfielder in the top 5 European leagues, Anguissa’s jumping, strength, stamina and aggression were seriously felt in Napoli’s title run. He is among Africa’s crème de la crème of midfielders.
Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon): The 25-year-old Cameroonian forward was beyond phenomenal for Brentford in England. Bryan Mbeumo made the fans of the Bees quickly forget Ivan Toney, who was the main man for Thomas Frank’s charges in terms of goals. Mbeumo is powerful, pacey and presses very well, making him successful in Frank’s system. The forward who could play across all three positions in attack scored an unbelievable 21 goals and provided 7 assists.
The French-born has more years to improve and many expect him to reach the top level of European football, as the connoisseurs of European football have tipped him. He is on the transfer list of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid, with Brentford set to receive many bids.
Yoanne Wissa (DR Congo): Another Brentford forward who was so sensational in the just-ended season is Wissa of DR Congo. The fantastic forward scored 19 goals with none from the penalty spot. He also provided 4 assists to help Brentford finish 10th. Yoanne Wissa has everything and is tactically flexible.
He is just like Mbeumo, who can play across all three 3 positions in the attack. Wissa is blessed with pace, dribbling, finishing and has can do spirit to thrive on any side in the English top division.
Omar Marmoush (Egypt): The Egyptian was among the top three best forwards in Germany before moving in the January transfer window from Frankfurt to Manchester City. Omar Marmoush scored 15 Bundesliga goals and assisted 9 times before securing a 75M euros move to the blue side of Manchester.
The 26-year-old Egyptian versatile attacker could have scored at least 26 goals in Germany had he not moved in January. Football fans expect him to reach a new height under Josep Guardiola, and his 7th position on the best African footballers who performed in the just-ended season is because he failed to hit his usual heights in England, even though he has been able to adapt well in Pep’s system.
Thomas Partey (Ghana): Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey enjoyed arguably his best season in Arsenal’s colours since moving from Madrid to London in 2020. The 31-year-old bona fide midfielder made the Arsenal family enjoy what they had wanted to see in him in the last 4 years.
Partey’s Arsenal career has been marred by consistent injuries, and the season he was injury-free, he stepped up and helped Arsenal reach the semi-finals of the UCL for the first time since 2009.
Thomas Partey made 35 EPL appearances for Arsenal, helping him surpassed the record 33 he made in the 2022-23 season. His ability to control the midfield made him a fan favourite, and he is on the verge of agreeing on a new deal with Arteta’s Gunners. Partey’s four goals in the league are his best goals-scoring record since joining the club.
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria): Lookman enjoyed his best league scoring season after scoring 15 goals and providing 5 assists for Atalanta.
The current African Footballer of the Year scored 4 more than last season’s league goals, and everything points to the fact that the Nigerian will improve in the subsequent seasons. Atalanta finished 3rd in the league, with Lookman finishing third on the top scorers chart in Italy behind Keane and Retegui of Fiorentina and Atalanta.
With a career high rating of 7.4 by Flashscore, the Nigerian was among the top 10 best African performers in the top 5 European leagues in the 2024-25 season.
His fracas with manager Gasperini was quickly solved by the club, and the star man returned to his best. Maybe a move to Juventus will excite the 27-year-old and his entourage.
Antoine Semenyo (Ghana): Bournemouth finished 9th in the EPL thanks to Spanish manager Andoni Iraola, who has transformed the club since replacing Gary O’Neil in the last two seasons.
The club’s rise has helped many players realise their full potential, with Ghana’s Semenyo one of them. The Ghanaian forward earned praise from English football legends Michael Owen, Owen Hargreaves and Rio Ferdinand when he led Bournemouth to a 1-0 win over Fulham.
The Ghanaian has qualities that few players can boast of. It will be very difficult for anyone to identify Semenyo’s strong foot as he works perfectly with both. Blessed with strength, pace, aggression and power, the 25-year-old Ghanaian is a delight to watch.
He played 37 times, enjoying a combined 3211 minutes, with only Milos Kerkez enjoying more minutes than him. He scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists for the Cherries.
