Yet it has been the last few World Cups, more than anything else that has exposed the wealth of rich soccer talent that Africa contains. Not so long ago African nations who made it to the World Cup finals were the whipping boys for the top teams, and usually left the tournament in the early stages.. Often a lot wiser and with a record hiding to remember. In 1974 for example Yugoslavia hammered Zaire 9-0, still a record for post war finals, and one that seems like to remain intact.
African football has moved forward in leaps and bounds since then and these days just about every top European club boasts at least one player of African origin in their line up.
Some of the African players who making it big in European football are Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast, and Chelsea, Samuel Eto of the Cameroon, and Inter Milan and Michael Essien of Ghana and Chelsea to name just a few.
The first African player to reach the heights of success in Europe was George Weah, although he never played in a World Cup. Weah spent an illustrious 14 years professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. His tall, gangly appearance belied his inherent football skills. He helped his clubs win titles in two of the three countries that he played in Europe.
The highlight year of us career was, when he was named FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year.
Soccer history widely regards as possibly the greatest African footballer of all time.
His humility and decency as a human being were evidenced when after retiring from soccer, Weah returned to his native Liberia where he has become involved in charitable work as well as being actively involved in the local political scene
Following in Weah’s shadow was Roger Milla a Cameroonian soccer star. While never quite making it big as a club player, Milla is synonymous with Cameroon’s appearance in the World Cup finals of 1990. Then 38 years old, he scored 4 goals in these finals and was almost individually responsible for England’s near shock defeat at the hands of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
Roger Milla was coaxed from retirement at the age of 42 to appear for Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup finals in the US. Milla became the oldest player ever to score a goal in the World Cup finals, and Lions appeared on the verge of creating a major sensation by taking England to extra time. The high standard of their performance was slightly tarnished by some disciplinary problems on the field that might have cost them, a problem that has haunted a few of the top African national teams since then, on this the highest global soccer stage of them all.
With the next World Cup finals in South Africa the world waits with bated breath to see which fresh talents will be involved in this first global stage for African football talents to further establish the credibility of African soccer.
Camisetas MUNDIAL RUSIA 2018 Todas las noticias, resultados y clasificaciones de las ligas de futbol de la Comunidad de Madrid.