Champions League: ranking of the best African players after two matchdays

14.10.26 FT Champions League

Real Betis

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FC Porto

2

The second matchday of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2026-2027 was marked by a goal fest, with a historic record of 78 goals scored in 18 matches, an average of 4.33 goals per game.

African players took part in this attacking festival, with a special mention for Senegal international Nicolas Jackson, who scored twice for Aston Villa in their 6-0 win over Turkish side Fenerbahçe SK.

According to statistics from specialist website Sofascore, Morocco’s Abdessamad Ezzalzouli leads the African ranking in the UEFA Champions League, with an average rating of 8.5.

The Real Betis player is ahead of Senegal international Nicolas Jackson, Aston Villa’s goalscorer, as well as his compatriot Brahim Diaz, the Real Madrid player, both rated 8.4 by the specialist website.

Top 20 best players in the Champions League

Raphinha (FC Barcelona): 9.80

Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona): 9.65

Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain): 9.4

Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain): 8.85

Michael Olise (Bayern Munich): 8.8

Jurriën Timber (Arsenal): 8.8

Kaique (Sporting CP): 8.8

Erling Haaland (Manchester City): 8.65

Ermedin Demirović (VfB Stuttgart): 8.55

Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis): 8.5

Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa): 8.4

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool FC): 8.4

Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid): 8.4

Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United): 8.4

Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain): 8.35

Jeff Chabot (VfB Stuttgart): 8.35

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich): 8.3

Bradley Barcola (Liverpool FC): 8.3

Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart): 8.3

Zlatko Tripić (Viking FK): 8.25

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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