Love him or hate him, there’s little doubt that Emmanuel Adebayor is one of the greatest characters the African game has produced over the last decade.

Of course, his attitude and off-the-field problems occasionally detract from his talent, but it’s easy to forget that the West African was once Africa’s most expensive player.

He doesn’t have the honours of some of his peers across the continent, but Ade certainly has a remarkable story to tell.

Well known for his defensive skills, Cameroon’s Rigobert Song was a dynamic striker who always gave more to the soccer game than his body would allow. It comes as no surprise then that Cameroon’s Big Chief had to retire from the very sport which was his life as his body couldn’t take much more.

Zambia reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in style with two wins and a draw, and at the heart of their progress was captain Christopher Katongo.

As one of the first African players to play in Europe and Mexico, Kalusha Bwalya was a pioneering figure during his exceptional playing career.
Zambia's most-capped player and all-time top scorer represented his national team from 1983 to 2004, and played for Cercle Brugge and PSV Eindhoven in Belgium and Netherlands respectively before later enjoying stints with Mexican duo Club America and Necaxa.