Which African players have graced the iconic Camp Nou with their talent?
Barcelona is known for its production and nurturing of great footballers from La Masia who are schooled in the art of playing mesmerizing and ball-hogging maneuvers, alongside some of their best talents from South America and Africa.
With the Blaugrana arguably one of the best clubs in Spain with the help of their finest recruitment over the years, as a football enthusiast, you will agree that some of Africa’s great have contributed to the success of the club.
African Players To Have Played For Barcelona
Samuel Eto’o
The current Cameroon FA President isn’t just the finest striker ever to graced LaLiga, he’s actually one of the world’s greatest players of all time to play the round leather game.
Eto’o led the line for the Blaugrana for five years after joining the club from Real Mallorca, where he had an amazing performance which led to his move to Camp Nou where he played under top managers like Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola.
In over 232 appearances for the Catalan giants, he won two Champions League titles, three LaLiga, one Copa del Rey, and four other Spanish cups which inked his name as the greatest African player to play for Barcelona.
Yaya Toure
The four-time African Player of the Year was among the key players that helped Pep’s Barcelona have a commendable success during his stint with the Blaugrana before he left for Manchester City.
Toure was viewed as a more defensive player by Pep who even used him as a defender in key games when some of the team’s regular defenders are out injured.
The Ivorian great success at Barcelona may not be as huge as that of his time at Manchester City, however, he also achieved quite a number of success playing for the Catalan giants during his stint in LaLiga.
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Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita last played football in 2017 for Jaish in the Qatari top-flight league. The Malian best club career can be traced to Barcelona where he won quite a number of titles before leaving the club.
Keita as a matter of fact is one of the continent’s most decorated players in history, and he certainly achieved great success in Spain.
He won a total of 14 trophies under Pep Guardiola before he left the Catalan giants and all through his stay in Camp Nou he was viewed as one of Guardiola’s most important players.
Alex Song
Alexander Song’s transfer to Barcelona came on the back of a brilliant campaign with Arsenal where he was unarguably one of Gunner’s best players.
The defensive midfielder was indispensable for Wenger’s team, but unfortunately, his move to LaLiga didn’t work out as he would have thought which led to his return to West Ham United on loan.
Former Cameroon international is still playing professionally in Djibouti top-flight with Arta Sola following spells with Sion and Rubin Kazan.
Emmanuel Amuneke
The former Super Eagles winger is arguably the finest winger from the continent ever to wear the Blaugrana jersey, even though injuries completely shattered his dream of playing for Barcelona at the highest level.
The former African Footballer of the Year may not have enjoyed his stint with Barcelona unlike other African players, however, he’s one of the continent’s best players ever to graced the Camp Nou with his talent even if it wasn’t for long.
Had it been Amuneke escaped the clutches of injuries at Barcelona, perhaps he could have achieved quite a lot with the Spanish giant.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Life in Barcelona just started for the Gabonese after he left Arsenal in an acrimonious situation where he was stripped of the captaincy.
After joining Barcelona on a free transfer, Aubameyang has turned up at the Camp Nou with a consistent goalscoring performance both in La Liga and UEFA Europa League for the Blaugrana.
Should he continue improving on his performance with the remaining games left for this season, and also continue with top performances next season he might also go down in the club’s history as one of African best to graced the Camp Nou.
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Kevin-Prince Boateng
The former Ghana international made 35 appearances across spells with both Barcelona and Las Palmas before he left Spain, the former AC Milan midfielder didn’t win a lot of titles with the Blaugrana but he did have fun at the club.
The 33-year-old loan move to Camp Nou from Sassuolo back in January came as a huge surprise to a lot of football enthusiasts. However, if the conversation about African players who played for Barcelona arises his name will definitely be on the list.
Boateng only made two appearances in LaLiga for Barcelona and was fortunate enough to win the Copa del Rey as one of the African players ever to grace LaLiga.
Gbenga Okunowo
Okunowo was signed by Barcelona at the age of 18 and eventually went on to make his debut following Louis van Gaal’s reckoning during the 1997-98 season against Racing Santander, lasting 76 minutes on the pitch before he was replaced.
The Nigerian stint at Camp Nou without a doubt started on a good note, where he played behind very tactical and gifted players like Cocu and Luis Figo.
He lost his place to Michael Reizeger despite a fantastic 21 appearances to his name including six as a sub and a standout moment in the Champions League against Manchester United.
