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After a spectacular year of football from an African perspective, these are the 10 best African footballers in 2022
It has been an amazing year for African football. From an entertaining African Cup of Nations, to exceptional individual performances from African players in the best leagues in the world, to the best performance by Africa at any World Cup ever.
But who are the players who contributed the most to Africa’s amazing year? Enjoy Pulse’s pick of the 10 best African players in 2022.
10. Azzedine Ounahi
Not many players from bottom-of-Ligue 1 Angers got to play at the World Cup in Qatar, but Azzedine Ounahi did, and he grabbed his chance with both hands.
He was one of the revelations of the tournament and was so outstanding in the midfield, alongside Sofyan Amrabat, that by the end of the competition, Barcelona were rumoured to be interested in signing him.
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His calm, skillful displays at the World were always going to be noticed, and by the semifinals, there were few who could doubt Ounahi’s quality in the middle of the park.
The fact that Ounahi is a major reason why Morocco even made it to Qatar in the first place edges him past Amrabat. His brace in the decisive CAF World Cup qualifier against DR Congo would not be soon forgotten by Moroccans, and neither will his incredible performances at the main World Cup tournament itself.
9. Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus did not play a single minute at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations thanks to a fractured rib, which also limited his game time with Dutch giants Ajax. But since returning to full fitness in the 2022/23 season, Kudus has shown both Ajax and Ghana what they missed during his extended absence.
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He has scored 10 times for Ajax in 21 matches in the new season, including four goals in six UEFA Champions League matches, where he also assisted twice.
Despite starting only five league and five UCL matches this season, he is Ajax's second-highest goal scorer, and he was outstanding for Ghana at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He was arguably Ghana’s best player in Qatar, scoring twice (including the winner) in their only win in the competition.
8. Alex Iwobi
Sometimes all a player needs to go from being average to being great is the right manager with the right ideas on how to bring the best out of him.
For Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi, he has found that manager in Everton’s Frank Lampard.
After struggling as a winger, wing-back, and even striker under previous managers, Iwobi has been reborn as one of the Premier League's best central midfielders under Lampard.
He had been a little bit too slow as a winger, but is a quicker central midfielder than most, and his dexterity on the ball has been a major reason why his transition has paid such huge dividends in such a short time.
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He has been one of Everton’s best players and was even nominated for the EPL Player of the Month in September after yet another string of brilliant performances.
7. Thomas Partey
Injury has frequently severely limited Thomas Partey's ability to contribute to both Arsenal and the Ghanaian national team, and without him, both teams have struggled to perform to their full potential.
However, a relatively injury-free 2022 has allowed him to show just how good he can be, as he has helped Arsenal to the top of the Premier League table with some scintillating performances and helped Ghana qualify for the World Cup, even scoring the deciding goal against Nigeria.
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Although the year has not been without controversy off the pitch for Partey, his on-field performances have been stellar for both club and country, and the quality that he has added to both teams in 2022 is undeniable.
6. Victor Osimhen
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has contributed more goals than any African player in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022 not named Mohammed Salah or Sadio Mane.
His chart-topping nine goals in the 2022-23 Serie A season are a huge reason why Napoli find themselves atop the table going into the new year.
After a tough start to life in Italy, Osimhen has found top gear in Serie A and has drawn praise from a few Serie A legends, some of whom consider him the best center forward in the league currently, and others who believe he has been better than legendary names like Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Although Osimhen was ultimately unable to replicate his form at club level for Nigeria, he has still shown enough quality to warrant a place on the list.
If his form continues into the new year, there could be a Ballon d’Or nomination in his near future.
5. Yassine “Bono” Bounou
Morocco’s Canadian-born goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou has been fantastic in 2022, especially for the Moroccan national team.
He has kept nine clean sheets in 16 appearances for Morocco, including three in six matches at the World Cup, where he made history with the national team.
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He became the first African goalkeeper to save a penalty in a World Cup knockout game shootout and helped Morocco become the first African country to win a penalty shootout at the World Cup.
His amazing feats put him in contention for the golden glove at the World Cup, and his performances have been good enough for a fifth-place finish in the list of the best African players of 2022.
4. Vincent Aboubakar
Most people did not believe Vincent Aboubakar could produce a performance like he did this year, but the man himself has always backed himself for greatness. Although he may be gutted to finish behind Salah on the list, it is still a testament to his sensational year that he is considered the fourth-best African player in 2022.
He began the year by dominating the African Cup of Nations with eight goals in seven games, becoming the first player in the 21st century to score more than five goals in one AFCON tournament and the player with the joint-second most goals in a single edition.
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He then continued his amazing run of form for Cameroon by giving a virtuoso performance to rescue them from defeat in the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage against Serbia. Coming off the bench to score a remarkable goal and provide an assist for the equaliser.
He capped off his brilliant 2022 with the national team by scoring a late winner to give them victory over Brazil in the final group, helping Cameroon become the first African country to defeat Brazil at the World Cup.
3. Mohamed Salah
Individually, Mohamed Salah had an amazing 2022. He finished as the highest-scoring African player in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022 and was also the African player with the most assists in the calendar year.
He also scored eight goals in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League with Liverpool on the way to the final and has already scored seven goals in the 22/23 edition, which is incredible, but the reason he has not finished higher has been down to key moments of disappointment over the course of the year.
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He had a below-par performance in the 2022 African Cup of Nations, which ended with a penalty shootout loss where he did not even get to take a kick, and also missed out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup after missing a crucial penalty in the deciding match.
Nevertheless, it was a superb year for Salah, and he deserves his place on the list.
2. Achraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi had a year that dreams are made of. A huge part of the success of PSG in Ligue 1, he shone like a million stars for Morocco as well.
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He made a claim as one of the best right backs in the world, not just Africa, and helped his nation make history by becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals.
He started every game for them at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and was also one of the country’s best players at the 2022 AFCON where he scored two stunning freekicks and provided an assist as Morocco reached the Quarterfinals.
1. Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane became the first African player to finish in the top three in the Ballon d’Or voting since George Weah won it in 1995.
The Senegalese maverick had a phenomenal year, leading Senegal to its first-ever international trophy in the 2022 African Cup of Nations, where he was directly involved in five goals (three goals and two assists) in seven games.
He scored the winning penalty in the AFCON final and repeated the feat again during the World Cup qualifiers as he guided Senegal to the World Cup for the second time running, after they missed out on the previous three editions.
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He also had a brilliant season in club football, helping Liverpool win the EFL Cup and FA Cup as well as scoring five goals on the way to claiming a losers' medal in the 2022 Uefa Champions League final.
He scored a total of 25 goals and registered six assists in the calendar year across Liverpool and Bayern Munich, and despite missing the 2022 World Cup through a heartbreaking injury, he was still comfortably the best African player for 2022.
Notable Mentions
As with every list of this nature, there are some players who narrowly missed out based on fine margins, including the Moroccan trio of Amrabat, Roman Saiss, and Youssef En-Nesyri. Cameroon’s Karl-Toko Ekambi is also worthy of mention, as is Nigeria’s trio of Cyril Dessers, Calvin Bassey, and Terem Moffi.
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Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, who was also nominated for the Ballon d'Or, missed out only due to a spectacularly poor national team year.
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