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Bruce Grobbelaar on greatest goalkeepers list

ZIMBABWEAN goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has been ranked seventh among Africa’s best ever goalminders.

He appears in an impressive list with some of the best in the business watched in the last 40 years.

Some were outstanding in their respective countries while others earned their stripes abroad with Zimbabwean Grobbelaar winning the European Cup with Liverpool.

Sports Brief takes a look at the seven finest African shot-stoppers ever.

1. Essam El-Hadary – Egypt

El-Hadary backstopped Al Ahly through an unmatchable era of African football dominance, winning 16 domestic titles, seven African championships, and three Arab Region titles.

After making his debut in 1996, he became one of the club’s longest-serving goalkeepers.

El-Hadary is Egypt’s most capped goalkeeper of all time with 159 appearances, representing the Pharaohs in several African Cup of Nations, four of which he won to also make him the competition’s joint-most decorated player. He was included in three teams of the tournament.

2. Thomas N’kono – Cameroon

The Cameroonian’s career lasted for 23 years and saw him win the AFCON twice and represent his country at three World Cups.

Clubs: Canon Yaoundi, Tonnerre Yaoundi, Espanyol, Sabadell, Hospitalet, Club Bolivar

3. Joseph-Antoine Bell – Cameroon

Also from Cameroon, Joseph-Antoine Bell had a stellar career that lasted for over 20 years. Strong and brave, he was also masterful as a sweeper keeper and played for the Indomitable Lions since 1977.

However, he didn’t earn wider recognition until 1985, when he signed for Marseille. Three years at the Stade Vélodrome were followed by six more years in France with Toulon, Bordeaux, and Saint-Etienne.

Clubs: Union Douala, Africa Sports, Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Marseille, Toulon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne.

4. Bruce Grobbelaar – Zimbabwe

With six English First Division (Premier League) titles and a European Cup (Champions League) crown to his credit, Grobbelaar is Africa’s most accomplished goalie – as well as wildly eccentric and flamboyant.

In 1981, Liverpool signed Grobbelaar after noticing him playing for Crewe Alexandra on loan. He would prove to be a worthy successor to club legend, Ray Clemence, in what turned out to be a brilliant transfer for both player and club.

Grobbelaar was vital during the 1984 European Cup final penalty shootout between Liverpool and Roma, when he denied Francesco Graziani the winner against the Reds.

5. Ezzaki Badou – Morocco

Moroccan football icon, Ezzaki Badou – also known by the nickname Zaki – played professional football for 17 years. He represented clubs like AS Salé, Wydad Casablanca, and FUS Rabat, yet RCD Mallorca in Spain was where he played his best football.

Zaki played over 160 league games for Mallorca between 1986 and 1992 in Spain’s top two divisions. In 1986, France Football named him the African Footballer of the Year. Three years later, he assisted Mallorca in getting promoted to La Liga.

He was the first of only two African goalkeepers to receive the Ricardo Zamora Trophy that season for his low goals-to-games ratio. A four-time participant in the African Cup of Nations and a member of Morocco’s iconic 1986 World Cup team, Zaki was recognized by the IFFHS as the fourth greatest African goalkeeper of the 20th century.

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6. Vincent Enyeama – Nigeria

The former captain of the Nigerian national team played 101 times for the Super Eagles, earning him the title of most-capped player for the West African nation.

He represented Enyimba at club level, where he twice won the CAF Champions League. He then signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007 and won the ‘Player of the Year’ award in 2009. The following season, he won the league and cup double with the Israeli club.

Clubs: Ibom Stars, Enyimba, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv

7. Carlos Kameni – Cameroon

The Cameroonian made over 200 league appearances for La Liga club Espanyol before switching to rivals Malaga in early 2012.

In 2017, he joined Turkish side Fernabache after five years with Malagasy. He played all three knock-out matches to help Cameroon win football gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Kameni was crucial as the Indomitable Lions finished second at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France.

-The Chronicle-

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