Five African players will celebrate being champions in four of Europe’s five biggest leagues at the end of the 2014/15 season.
Spain’s Primera Division is the only major league where there are no Africans in the first team squad of either of the two clubs battling for the title, Barcelona or Real Madrid (though the former do have Cameroon’s Alex Song out on loan at West Ham in England).
In England, Chelsea were crowned champions last weekend and former Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba and Nigerian John Obi Mikel picked up a fourth and second Premier League title with the Blues respectively.
In France’s Ligue 1, Serge Aurier’s PSG are just one point away from clinching the title, while Bayern Munich and Juventus have long since mathematically secured the championships in Germany and Italy respectively.
Bayern have Morocco’s Mehdi Benatia in their squad, though he has not been a regular under coach Pep Guardiola, racking up just 14 appearances in the Bundesliga at the time of writing.
Juve, meanwhile, have Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah on their books. The West African is generally an important figure for the ‘Old Lady’, but he has spent much of the current season on the sidelines due to injury and has made just six appearances in Serie A.
Africans picking up winners’ medals in the top five European leagues:
England – Premier League
Champions: Chelsea
Africans in squad: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria)
France – Ligue 1
Likely champions: PSG (six-point lead, two matches to play)
Africans in squad: Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast)
Germany – Bundesliga
Champions: Bayern Munich
Africans in squad: Mehdi Benatia (Morocco)
Italy – Serie A
Champions: Juventus
Africans in squad: Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana)
Spain – Primera Division
Likely champions: Barcelona (four-point lead, two matches to play) or Real Madrid