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Here are the 19 African players who have won Champions league in three decades

On Saturday, May 26, 2018, Liverpool's Sadio Mane will join 19 African players to become the 20th that have made it to the Champions League finals.

    Though 19 Africans have won the Champions League, only 15 of them appeared in the final matches.

    However, the players who didn’t play in the finals appeared at some point during their club's respective Champions League-winning campaign to earn their medal.

    Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1983/1984 season became the first African player from Zimbabwe to win the Champions league. He was Liverpool's goalkeeper. In the same vein, in 2004/2005 season, Djimi Traore from Mali became the second African to play for Liverpool at the Champions League final and he also won the trophy.

    Interestingly, the Senegalese will go down in history as the first from his country, the third African to play for Liverpool at the Champions League final.

    Here are the 19 African players, who have won the Champions league in three decades.

    Samuel Eto'o

    Years: 2006, 2009, 2010

    Clubs: FC Barcelona, Inter Milan

    Seydou Keita

    Years: (2009 and 2011

    Club: Catalan giants

    Didier Drogba

    Year: 2012

    Club: Chelsea

    Yaya Toure

    Year: 2009

    Club: FC Barcelona

    Benni McCarthy

    Yea: 2004

    Club: FC Porto

    Samuel Kuffour

    Year: 2000/2001 season

    Club: Bayern Munich

    John Mikel Obi

    Year: 2011/2012 season

    Club: Chelsea FC

    Sulley Muntari

    Year: 2009/2010 season

    Club: Inter Milan

    Salomon Kalou

    Year: 2011/2012 season

    Club: Chelsea FC

    Djimi Traore

    Year: 2004/2005 season

    Club: Liverpool

    Rabah Madjer

    Year: 1986/1987 season

    Club: FC Porto

    Bruce Grobbelaar

    Year: 1983/1984 season

    Club: Liverpool

    Abedi Pele Ayew

    Year: 1992/1993 season

    Club: Olympique Marseille

    Finidi George

    Year: 1994/1995 season

    Club: Ajax Amsterdam

    Kanu Nwankwo

    Year: 1994/1995 season

    Club: Ajax Amsterdam

    These 5 players didn't play at the finals for their teams but won the Champions League alongside their teams.

    Michael Essien

    Year:  2012

    Club: Chelsea

    McDonald Mariga

    Year: 2010

    Club: Inter Milan

    Ibrahim Tanko

    Year: 1997

    Club: Borussia Dortmund

    Geremi Njitap

    Years: 2000 and 2002

    Club: Real Madrid

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