AFCON top scorers 2024: Salah, Mane, and Osimhen all miss out on the Top 10

AFCON 2024 featured one of the highest numbers of penalty shootouts in tournament history, with five knockout matches decided on penalties. There are not much goals in this tournament, with only one player managing to score five goals. Today, livescorecz.net will list the AFCON top scorers 2024.

AFCON top scorers 2024 list

Leading the list is Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea, who won the Golden Boot with five goals. Surprisingly, Equatorial Guinea were eliminated in the round of 16, and Nsue was already 34 years old at the time of the tournament. Most of his goals came in the match against Guinea-Bissau, which Equatorial Guinea won 4-2. In that game, Nsue scored a hat-trick, the first at AFCON since 2008. He then added two more goals in a shock 4-0 victory over Ivory Coast, who later went on to win the tournament.

Next on the list is Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed, not Mohamed Salah. He set an impressive record by scoring in all four of Egypt’s matches at the tournament, including three group-stage games and the round of 16. His goals were all important, either giving Egypt the lead or equalising. However, without Salah, Egypt lacked overall attacking power and were eliminated by DR Congo in the round of 16.

Also scoring four goals was Gelson Dala, who played a key role in Angola’s run to the quarter-finals. With this tally, he equalled the record for most goals scored by an Angolan player in a single AFCON tournament, matching Manucho’s mark from 2008. Gelson is a versatile attacker, comfortable with both feet and very effective on the counter-attack thanks to his pace. His form, along with striker Mabululu, helped Angola top a group that included Algeria and Burkina Faso. Angola then beat Namibia 3-0 before losing 0-1 to Nigeria in the quarter-finals.

Fourth on the list is Ademola Lookman, who scored three goals, all in the knockout rounds. He opened his account with a brace against Cameroon in the round of 16, helping Nigeria to a 2-0 win. He then scored the only goal in the quarter-final against Angola to send Nigeria into the semi-finals and eventually the final. Although he was kept quiet in the final, Lookman formed a dangerous partnership with Viktor Osimhen throughout the tournament.

AFCON top scorers 2024 list (Top 10):

1. Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea, 5 goals in 4 matches)

2. Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt, 4 goals in 4 matches)

3. Gelson Dala (Angola, 4 goals in 5 matches)

4. Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, 3 goals in 7 matches)

5. Mohamed Bayo (Guinea, 3 goals in 5 matches)

6. Bertrand Traoré (Burkina Faso, 3 goals in 4 matches)

7. Lassine Sinayoko (Mali, 3 goals in 5 matches)

8. Mabululu (Angola, 3 goals in 5 matches)

9. William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria, 3 goals in 6 matches)

10. Baghdad Bounedjah (Algeria, 3 goals in 3 matches)

Why are stars like Salah, Mané, and Osimhen missing from this list?

AFCON 2024 was a disappointing tournament for Mohamed Salah. He started with a penalty goal in a 2-2 draw against Mozambique, but then suffered an injury in the group-stage match against Ghana and was forced off before half-time. Salah returned to Liverpool for treatment in the hope of recovering in time to rejoin Egypt, but the team were eliminated in the round of 16 before he could return. His absence drew criticism from some fans in Egypt.

Unlike Salah, Sadio Mané played every match for Senegal but could not prevent their elimination in the round of 16. He scored one goal and provided three assists, finishing among the tournament’s top assist providers. In the penalty shootout against Ivory Coast, Mané converted his spot-kick, but Moussa Niakhaté missed, ending Senegal’s campaign after four matches.

Viktor Osimhen, despite Nigeria reaching the final, also failed to make a big impact on the scoring charts. He finished the tournament with one goal and one assist, with two other goals disallowed by VAR. Even so, his overall contribution was important, as he linked play well and used his strength and movement to create space for teammates. In the final, however, he was closely marked by Ivory Coast’s defence and could not influence the game, as Nigeria lost 1-2.

Several other high-profile players also missed out on the top scorer list, including Mohammed Kudus, Sébastien Haller, and Ismaïla Sarr. Their teams were eliminated relatively early and did not progress far enough for them to build strong goal tallies.

In summary, this article from LiveScore CZ has reviewed the AFCON top scorers 2024 and explained why several famous stars did not feature among them. For more information about African football, read our other articles here.