Osimhen 6th, Salah 2nd: Ranking Africa’s active top goalscorers including Senegal, Morocco stars

Victor Osimhen is currently Africa’s most feared striker but the Super Eagles star still has several legendary names ahead of him on the list of the continent’s highest-scoring active players, Afrik-Foot reports.

After another outstanding season with Galatasaray, the Nigerian forward has continued to climb the all-time rankings. His goals for clubs in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Turkey, together with his performances for Nigeria, have taken him past the 200-goal mark in senior football.

Even so, Osimhen is still sixth among Africa’s active goalscorers. Ahead of him are experienced stars who have spent many years scoring in Europe’s biggest leagues and on the international stage.

Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen. Copyright: xBSRxAgencyxIMAGO

Here is a closer look at Africa’s six highest-scoring active footballers.

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria): 208 goals

Osimhen has established himself as the continent’s number-one centre-forward and one of Europe’s deadliest finishers. His goals have come during spells with Charleroi, Lille, Napoli and Galatasaray, while he has also become Nigeria’s main striker.

His biggest breakthrough came at Napoli, where he scored 76 goals, won the Serie A title and became the highest-scoring African player in Serie A history.

Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen. Copyright: xBSRxAgencyxIMAGO

He has since matched that 76-goal total at Galatasaray in far fewer matches, helping the Turkish giants win major domestic honours and finishing among the league’s top scorers.

Osimhen has also delivered for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations and during World Cup qualifiers, scoring 35 international goals in only 51 appearances.

With over two hundred career goals before turning 30, age remains his biggest advantage. If he maintains his current scoring rate over the next several seasons, he could move into Africa’s top three active goalscorers.

5. Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon): 231 goals

Former Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar has built an impressive career across France, Portugal, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. His best club years came with Porto, where he scored 58 goals, while he also enjoyed three productive spells with Beşiktaş, adding another 44 goals.

Internationally, Aboubakar has become one of Cameroon’s greatest forwards. He has scored 45 goals for the Indomitable Lions, making him the country’s second-highest scorer behind Samuel Eto’o.

His career highlights include scoring the winning goal in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final, winning the Golden Boot at AFCON 2021 with eight goals and scoring twice at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including the famous late winner against Brazil.

Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco): 241 goals

Morocco international Ayoub El Kaabi has quietly built a consistent scoring record that many would be proud to have. His goals have come in Morocco, China, Turkey, Qatar and Greece, with Olympiacos becoming the club where he gained international recognition.

El Kaabi inspired Olympiacos to the UEFA Europa Conference League title after finishing as the competition’s top scorer with 11 goals. He followed that with another productive Europa League campaign before continuing his scoring form in the Greek league.

Before moving to Europe, he had already made his name with Racing Casablanca, RS Berkane and Wydad Casablanca in Morocco.

El Kaabi has contributed more than 30 senior international goals for the Morocco’s Atlas Lions, while he also set a record by scoring nine goals during the 2018 African Nations Championship.

3. Sadio Mane (Senegal): 311 goals

An African legend of the modern era, Sadio Mane will be remembered for his heart, runs and most importantly his goals. His career has taken him from Metz and Red Bull Salzburg to Southampton, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Al-Nassr, with goals following him everywhere.

Liverpool witnessed the very best of Mane, who scored 120 goals and helped the club win the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and several other major trophies.

Earlier in his Premier League career, he made history by scoring the fastest hat-trick ever recorded in the competition while playing for Southampton.

In the colours of Senegal, Mane is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 55 international goals. He also captained the Lions of Teranga to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, cementing his legendary status.

2. Mohamed Salah (Egypt): 400 goals

Mohamed Salah recently reached another incredible milestone by scoring his 400th career goal. The Egyptian icon enjoyed unforgettable spells with Basel, Roma and Liverpool after brief periods at Chelsea and Fiorentina.

Liverpool became the club where Salah developed into a world-class forward, scoring more than 250 goals and becoming the club’s highest Premier League scorer.

Internationally, Salah has continued to lead Egypt, scoring nearly 70 goals for the Pharaohs and moving within touching distance of Hossam Hassan’s all-time national scoring record.

His consistency over more than a decade has made him arguably Africa’s greatest footballer of this century and one of the most successful forwards in Premier League history.

1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon): 410 goals

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sits comfortably at the top of Africa’s active goalscoring chart. The Gabon captain has scored 410 goals during an outstanding career that has included spells at Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Marseille and Al-Qadsiah.

His most productive period came at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 141 goals and won the Bundesliga Golden Boot. He later became Arsenal captain, scoring 92 goals, winning the FA Cup and sharing the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2018-19 season. Although his spell at Chelsea was short, Aubameyang revived his form at Marseille before continuing his career in Saudi Arabia.

He is also Gabon’s all-time leading scorer with 40 international goals and remains the highest-scoring active African footballer, thanks to nearly two decades of remarkable consistency.