The top 10 AFCON stats of all time comprise of 10 of the most intriguing stats from the African Cup of Nations you’ve probably never heard of.
AFCON 2023 began on the 13th of January 2024 and this might be a good time to discuss some of these interesting stats from the tournament.
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Top 10 AFCON Stats
1. Most Matches Played By A Player
Rigobert Song from Cameroon holds the record for most matches played in the tournament with a total of 36 appearances from eight different editions.
2. Top Scorer In AFCON History
Samuel Eto’o holds the record for the most goals scored in the history of the African Cup of Nations. The Cameroonian netted 18 times in 29 AFCON games in six different editions (from 2000 to 2010) to make him the top scorer in the tournament.
3. Most Tournament Appearances By A Player
Two players have appeared in the most AFCON tournaments of 8 which are Rigobert Song and Ahmed Hassan from Cameroon and Egypt respectively.
Interestingly, both players made their first tournament appearance in 1996 and their eighth in 2010.
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4. Most AFCON Titles By Nations
Egypt have won seven AFCON finals making them the country with the most titles in the tournament with their latest triumph being in 2010.
5. Most AFCON Titles By A Player
Ahmed Hassan and Essam El Hadary are the two players with the most AFCON titles, both from Egypt lifting a total of four titles in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
6. Most AFCON Titles By A Coach
Ghana’s Charles Gyamfi and Egypt’s Hassan Shehata have won a total of four AFCON titles each making them the coaches with the most AFCON titles won. Hassan Shehata has also won the most consecutive titles by a coach with a total of three.
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7. Titles Won As Both Player And Coach
Mahmoud El-Gohary from Egypt and the late Stephen Keshi from Nigeria both won the title as player and coach for their respective nations, the only individuals to achieve such a milestone in the AFCON
8. Most Goals Scored In A Single Match By A Player
In 1970, Laurent Poko of Ivory Coast scored five goals in a 6-1 win against Ethiopia to make him the player with the most goals scored in a single AFCON match.
9. Most Goals Scored By A Player In A Single Tournament
Ndiaye Mulamba of DR Congo became the highest goalscorer in a single tournament in 1974 in which he scored 9 goals to claim the Golden Boot.
10. Most Medals By A Country
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have won a total of 15 AFCON medals making the country the team with the most Medals in the tournament: 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 8 bronze medals. They also hold the record for most bronze medals held by any team in the competition.
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Conclusion
The African Cup of Nations always promises to be interesting with incredible stats. The biennial competition is well known to produce exhilarating performances from players on the pitch at the same time, displaying its unique culture.
AFCON has produced numerous all time stats and figures but the top 10 mentioned above are some of the most significant.
On a personal note, Rigobert Song’s record 36 appearances in AFCON is the most intriguing of the top 10 all time stats.
Let’s hope the AFCON 2024 will produce another set of intriguing stats to remember for years.
