Many of Africa's greatest players, including Didier Drogba and Benni McCarthy, have never lifted the Africa Cup of Nations – here are 13 African legends who failed to add the continent's biggest prize to their trophy cabinet.
Tired of reading? Click through the gallery to see which 13 African superstars never won the AFCON.
Arguably the biggest African legend to not have been crowned African champion with his national team is Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba.
The 38-year-old reached the final twice, but lost on both occasions after missing crucial penalties – in a shootout defeat in 2006, and during extra-time before a shootout loss in 2012. What makes Drogba's case even unluckier is the fact that Ivory Coast won AFCON 2015 just five months after their former captain retired from international football.
Similarly to Drogba, Benni McCarthy never lifted the AFCON trophy with South Africa, despite being his country's all-time record goalscorer. He made his international debut five months after Bafana Bafana won their only AFCON title in 1996.
Ghana greats such as Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien and Anthony Yeboah must all be added to the list, with the Black Stars having failed to win the tournament since 1982, despite reaching the past six consecutive semi-finals. Similar to Drogba, current captain Gyan reached two finals, but finished as runner-ups in both instances.
Even Africa's only FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, was not able to lift Africa's biggest trophy, or even reach the knockout stages of the competition, with Liberia.
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Others African legends, including Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia), Peter Ndlovu (Zimbabwe) and Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) can also be found in the attached gallery.
Who do you think is the biggest African name to have never lifted the AFCON trophy? Have your say in the comments section below.
