African footballers have consistently made their mark on European football, scoring crucial goals and delivering exceptional performances to lead their team to victory in major European tournaments.
From the legendary Samuel Eto’o who dazzled for Barcelona to Atalanta’s Europa League final hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman, this list explores five Africans to have scored in an European final;
Samuel Eto’o
Cameroon great Samuel Eto’o remains the only African footballer to have scored in more than one European final. Eto’o scored his first goal in an European final in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final for Barcelona, grabbing the equalizer before Juliano Belletti scored the winner in a 2-1 win. He was also awarded the player of the match award for his brilliant display in the match.
The forward grabbed his second European final goal in 2009, netting the opener for Barcelona once again, in a 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Ademola Lookman
Reigning African footballer of the year Ademola Lookman, produced one of the greatest individual displays in an European final when he scored a remarkable hat-trick to guide Atalanta to a historic Europa League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.
The Super Eagles forward remains the only African to have scored multiple times in a single European final, while he became the first player to score a treble in an European final since Jupp Heynckes for Borussia Monchengladbach in 1975.
Didier Drogba
Former Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba scored the equalizer for Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich. The Blues went on to win the match on penalty shootouts, with Drogba scoring the decisive spot-kick to secure a first UCL trophy for the London side.
The two-time African footballer of the year was also awarded the player of the match award for his inspiring performance in driving Chelsea to victory.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with a second minute penalty in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. The goal was the second fastest in UCL final history, only behind Paolo Maldini’s strike inside a minute in the 2005 final.
Salah also featured in the 2018 final, playing just 25 minutes before he was substituted with an injury after competing for the ball with Real Madrid’s defender Sergio Ramos.
Rabah Madjer
Rabah Madjer became the first African to score in an European final with his goal for Porto in the 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the 1987 European Cup final. The former Algerian international scored the equalizer for the Portuguese side with a cheeky back heel, before Brazilian forward Juary scored the winner as Porto claimed a first European crown.
