Champions League: Wolexis Greatest African XI
For the Spanish giants it would be an attempt to win the Champions League consecutively, something no team has been able to achieve since the revised format.
And for Juventus, it would be the chance to give veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon the final piece to an illustrious career that has seen the UCL continuously evade him.
With the anticipation in the air, we decided to use the opportunity to field our greatest African XI.
A lot of players have won the Champions League, so our main criteria would be on number of times won and impact made in the finals, not stretching it to the summary of their careers.
With no further ado, here is our greatest African XI.
Bruce Grobbelaar- Zimbabwe (GK)
The Zimbabwean player would win the Champions League with Liverpool in the 1983/1984 season and remains the only goalkeeper of African origin.
Geremi Njitap- Cameroon (DF)
The Cameroonian won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid, first in 2000 and in 2002. Geremi who was known for his utility roles could have won the trophy with Chelsea but came short.
Samuel Kuffour- Ghana (DF)
The strong Ghanaian finally got the chance to lift the trophy after the heartbreak he suffered against Man Utd in 1999. He would play a key role as Bayern would triumph in 2001
Djimi Traore- Mali (DF)
Traore would be part of the Liverpool side that would comeback from a 3-0 deficit against AC Milan to win the trophy. Some consider his medal win ugly but who cares, the Malian has one.
Yaya Toure- Ivory Coast (MF)
Yaya Toure would win the UCL with Barcelona in 2009. He played over 70 matches for the club and was part of the historic 2009 Barcelona side that won six trophies in a calendar year.
Abedi Pele- Ghana (MF)
Abedi Pele would lead Marseille to UCL glory in 1993 when the revised format would kickoff. It would the first and only time a French side would win the trophy.
Seydou Keita- Mali(MF)
The Malian international would win the trophy twice with Barcelona against Man Utd first in 2009 and next in 2011. He finished his first season at the Camp Nou with 46 official games as Barça won the treble.
Finidi George- Nigeria (MF)
The Nigerian winger would be part of a young Ajax setup to win the UCL under Louis van Gaal. The player would make his name in Ajax and would be one of the best players in his position at the time.
Samuel Eto'o- Cameroon (FW)
The legendary Cameroonian would bag the UCL with different teams. First with Barcelona and then with Inter Milan.
Rabah Madjer- Algeria (FW)
He reached stardom as a Porto player during the 1980s, being widely regarded as one of the best Algerian football players of all time.[1][2] With that club he won nine major titles during his six-year spell, including three national championships and the 1987 European Cup.
Didier Drogba- Ivory Coast (FW)
The Ivory Coast international would make amends for the loss in Moscow in 2008 with a fine header to send the game to penalties. It would only be right for Didier Drogba to sign out with the last spotkick sending Chelsea fans into un-explainable delight.
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