10. Medhi Benatia: The newest arrival at either of the Serie A giants, Benatia returned to Italy this summer when he moved to Juventus on loan from Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old established himself as one of the finest defenders in Europe during four years with Udinese and AS Roma, and while he was denied a potentially career-defining Nations Cup on home soil in 2015, he won two German titles under Pep Guardiola.


9. Kevin-Prince Boateng: An enigma, perhaps, but Prince enjoyed some wonderful moments over two spells with Milan, not least his hat-trick against Lecce, when he came on as a substitute to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 victory. He won the Serie A title in 2011, finished second a year later,
and also once made headlines across Europe for walking off the pitch in response to racist chanting by Pro Patria fans. Currently with Las Palmas, he has scored two goals in six La Liga outings so far this season.


8. Kwadwo Asamoah: Another of the five Ghanaians on this list, Asamoah has won an eye-opening four Serie A titles since moving to Juventus in 2012 and is an established component of a sublime Old Lady cycle. However,
questions still linger about his recent impact, with the 27-year-old having been robbed of some of his peak years due to injury. He hasn’t featured for the Black Stars since 2014, and made just 18 league appearances over the last two seasons combined.


7. Mohamed Sissoko: The Mali powerhouse achieved great success early in his career—winning the Spanish title and the UEFA Cup with Valencia—but his progress was stymied at Liverpool after he suffered a career-threatening eye injury. He won the FA Cup with the Reds before moving onto Juve in 2008, and later claimed the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain,
but never truly realised the heights that he was once destined for.


6. Sulley Muntari: The tenacious midfielder—who is currently without a contract—has enjoyed a fine career, even if his reputation with Ghana was undermined by his reportedly appalling behaviour at the 2014 World Cup while on duty with the Black Stars. He won the Champions League with Internazionale in 2010, completed an unforgettable FA Cup triumph with Portsmouth and won two Serie A titles with the Nerazzurri before moving across Milan in 2012.




5. Taribo West: The Pastor had a nomadic career, and as well as stints with the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Derby County, also turned out for both Milan clubs. He won gold with Nigeria at the 1996 Olympics and will be remembered as a classy and physically imposing centre-back.


4. Sunday Oliseh: Another classic defensive midfielder, Oliseh graced some of Europe’s biggest clubs—Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus—although his stays never quite managed to align with these sides’ most glorious moments during the 1990s. As a manager, he’s yet to be as successful as he was during his playing career, with one brief and unhappy spell as Super Eagles coach threatening to sully his reputation.


3. Stephen Appiah: It can be tricky to look back at Appiah’s career and think ‘what if?’, as the midfielder—like one or two others on this list—had to contend with relentless injuries during some of his peak years and never truly realised his potential. He became the first in a long line of Ghanaians to sign for Udinese, before moving onto Parma and then Juventus. There were flashes of brilliance here and at Fenerbahce—where one wondergoal against Schalke in the Champions League lives long in the memory.


2. Michael Essien: Injuries have blunted his impact during the latter years of his career, but in his prime, Essien was one of Africa’s greatest central midfielders in history…and there have been a few of those! He was a BBC African Player of the Year and would surely have clinched the Caf POTY crown had injuries not interfered. He joined Milan in 2014 after nine years at Chelsea in which he won two EPL titles,
four FA Cups and the Champions League in 2012.


1. George Weah: The Liberia striker remains the only African player to win the Ballon d’Or and,
for that reason if nothing else, deserves his spot in the discussion about the continent’s greatest ever player. He may not have won the club honours that his talent truly deserved, but Africa has produced few—if any—more naturally gifted players than Weah, who scored 46 in 114 Serie A matches for AC Milan between 1995 and 2000.