Four Nigerians among Africa’s leading ten scorers in Europe’s top ten leagues this season

The 2020/2021 season is over, with Euro 2020 taking centre stage, but some African stars had a brilliant goalscoring record.

In this article, Soccernet ranks the top ten scoring Africans in Europe’s top ten leagues in the just-concluded season.

1. Paul Onuachu (Genk and Nigeria): Number one on the list is no one else but Paul Onuachu. The 27-year-old scored 33 league goals, including the playoffs, for Genk in the Belgian top-flight this season.

That’s 11 more than his nearest challenger- although the Belgian Jupiler League is not among the top-five leagues.

Still, it was a fantastic season for the Nigerian international, who was rewarded with three individual awards, including the golden boot. 

2. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt): Liverpool only managed to make the top four, but Mohamed Salah once again showed his qualities in what was a disappointing season for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp’s men lost the defence of their Premier League title, but Salah scored 22 league goals to finish as Premier League’s joint-top scorer with Harry Kane.

3. Aaron Boupendza (Hatayaspor and Gabon): Hatayaspor finished sixth and scored 62 goals in the Super Lig this season, but two of their African stars contributed more than 50% of the goals.

Boupendza had a hand in 37% of the goals Hatayaspor scored this season. The Gabonese striker scored 22 times to finish as the top scorer in the Turkish top-flight.

4. Simy Nwankwo (Crotone and Nigeria): Simy is the second of four Nigerians on the list. The 29-year-old scored 20 goals for Crotone, breaking many records in the process.

The former Gil Vicente forward became Nigeria’s leading goalscorer in a single season in Europe’s top five leagues, while he also became Crotone’s all-time top scorer.

He also became the second African to reach the 20 goal mark in the Italian Serie A after Samuel Eto’o scored 21 for Inter Milan in the 2010/2011 season.

5. Mame Diouf (Hatayaspor and Senegal): Former Stoke City striker Diouf finished as the joint-second highest goalscorer in the Super Lig with 19 goals- three behind his Hatayaspor teammate Boupendza.

The 33-year-old, along with Boupendza, helped Hatayaspor punch above their weights this season.

6. Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla and Morocco): En-Nesyri sits in sixth place after scoring 18 times in 38 games to help Sevilla finish in La Liga’s top four.

The Moroccan international joined Sevilla from Leganes in January 2020 and has gone on to be a vital member of the team.

7. Ike Ugbo (Cercle Brugge and Nigeria): Although born in England to Nigerian parents, Ugbo has already expressed his wish to switch his international allegiance to Nigeria.

Ugbo spent the season on loan at Cercle Brugge from Chelsea, which turned out to be a good move. The 22-year-old was one of the leading scorers in Belgium’s top-flight with 16 goals for Cercle.

He has returned to Chelsea but expected to leave permanently this summer. However, Ugbo won’t be short of offers following his performance in the Belgian Jupiler League.

8. Vincent Aboubakar (Besiktas and Cameroon): Aboubakar is another African that tore the Turkish League apart.

Besiktas won the league ahead of Galatasaray on goal difference, with Aboubakar playing an important role. The Cameroonian international scored 15 goals which proved vital on the last day of the season.

9. Terem Moffi (Lorient and Nigeria): Just like his compatriot Victor Osimhen did in the previous season, Moffi also took the French Ligue 1 by storm in his first season.

The 21-year-old joined Lorient from Kortrijk for €8m in October- more than a month after the season had started.

However, Moffi still ended as one of the league’s top scorers with 14 goals for a Lorient side that was in a relegation battle all season.

Moffi was indeed one of Ligue 1’s revelation of the season, and that earned him a callup to the Nigerian national team, where he made his debut in the friendly games against Cameroon.

10. Karl Toko Ekambi (Lyon and Cameroon): Toko Ekambi joined Lyon from Villarreal last summer, but the Cameroonian settled in well.

The 28-year-old scored 14 times in 35 league games- although it was not enough to help Lyon qualify for the Champions League.