Egyptian international Mohamed Salah scored his 200th goal for Liverpool on Saturday, December 9, in a keenly contested match against Crystal Palace, which ended 2-1 in favour of the Reds.
The Egyptian goal in the 76 minutes registered his 200th goal, making him the only African player in the English Premier League (EPL) to have achieved the feat.
Salah, who has recorded 247th Premier League appearances, occupies the fifth position among the all-time top-10 Liverpool legends who have scored over 200 goals.
The Egypt star is behind Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228).
The ICIR analyses the top 10 African players with the highest EPL goals. They include
1) Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 200 goals
The Egypt international began his stint in England with Chelsea between 2014-16.
He joined Liverpool in 2017, and since his spell with the club, he has etched his name in the club’s hall of fame.
The Egypt international has won the Golden Boot three times. He claimed Player of the Season prize in 2017/18 and helped Liverpool end a 30-year wait for Premier League glory in 2019/20.
2) Sadio Mané, Senegal, – 111 goals
The Senegal international began his stint in the Premier League with Southampton in 2014.
Before leaving Southampton for Liverpool in 2016, he had 21 goals in his 67 appearances.
At Liverpool, he had 196 appearances with 90 goals before he joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022.
He now plays for the Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr.
3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 104 goals
The Ivorian striker boasts of his strength and exceptional scoring qualities.
He joined Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, the club’s manager, in 2004 and left in 2012.
During his eight years in the club, he became the first African player to score 100 goals and won two Golden Boot awards in 2006/20007 and 2009/2010.
He won the Premier League four times with the Blues.
4) Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) – 97 goals
Emmanuel Adebayor came into the spotlight at Arsenal when he became the club’s top striker after the departure of Thierry Henry.
His voyage in the Premier League from 2006 to 2016 saw him play for four different clubs.
After he left Arsenal, the lanky striker played at Manchester City and Tottenham.
In 2016, he ended his adventure in England with a brief stint at Crystal Palace.
5) Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Nigeria) – 95 goals
The Nigerian international displayed rare abilities blended with his strong body structure.
He played for four different teams throughout his career in the Premier League.
He scored 95 goals in 295 games, averaging 0.38 goals per match.
His final stint was with Blackburn in 2012 before he retired from playing football in November 2017.
6) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) – 82 goals
The Algerian started with Leicester City in the Premier League in 2014 and left in 2018.
During his four-year stint, he scored 42 goals in 158 appearances.
He joined Manchester in 2018, scoring 43 goals in 145 appearances and left in 2023.
He scored 85 goals in 303 appearances in all his eleven-year spell in England.
Before leaving the Premier League for Al-Ahl in Saudi Arabia, he won a Premier League title and PFA Player of the Year winner at Leicester City.
He won four more titles with Manchester City, including a maiden Champions League crown.
7) Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast) – 81 goals
Wilfried Zaha began his career with Crystal Palace in 2010. He recorded 12 goals in 110 appearances.
After three years, he joined Manchester United in 2013, but it was not a stroll in the park for Ivorian at Old Trafford.
He returned to Palace on loan before making the move permanent in 2015.
His return to Crystal Palace saw his flair as he became a nightmare to defenders.
He scored 69 goals in 318 appearances before leaving for Turkish giants Galatasaray in the summer of 2023.
8) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) – 69 goals
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal in 2018.
He recorded 68 goals in 128 games and shared the Golden Boot prize with Salah and Mane in 2019.
After he departed for a short spell at Barcelona, Aubameyang returned to England, joining Chelsea in 2022/23.
He had only one goal in 15 appearances before departing for French club Marseille in the summer of 2023.
9) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) – 59 goals
Yaya Toure is the highest-scoring African midfielder in Premier League history with 59 goals.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year joined Manchester City between 2010 and left in 2018.
He had 230 appearances, helping the club to win the 2011 FA Cup final – and the Premier League three times.
10) Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) – 57 goals
Kanu is a legendary figure in the Premier League.
The Nigerian international was part of Arsenal’s iconic ‘Invincibles’ team that won the 2003/04 season without losing a match.
He won two Premier League titles, recording 30 goals in 119 appearances for Arsenal.
Five years later, after his stint at Arsenal, Kanu joined West Brom in 2004, scoring seven goals in 53 appearances.
In 2006, he teamed with Portsmouth, making 143 appearances with 20 goals to his credit.
He left the club in 2012.