The Africa Cup of Nations archives are full of legendary names, but when it comes to the quarterfinal stage, Egyptian icon Ahmed Hassan stands alone at the top.
The former Pharaohs captain, who lifted four continental titles with Egypt, is the all‑time leading scorer in Afcon quarterfinals with 4 goals, putting him ahead of giants like Didier Drogba and Rashidi Yekini, who each have 3 goals alongside Salomon Kalou.
Hassan’s influence was never just about goals, as he also ranks among the most present players at this crucial stage. He shares the record for most quarterfinal appearances, with 6 matches, together with a group of African greats: Samuel Eto’o, Geremi Njitap and Rigobert Song of Cameroon, plus Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast.
Just behind them is another stacked list of stars who have each played 5 quarterfinal games.
That group includes Tunisia’s Riadh Bouazizi and Youssef Msakni, Ivory Coast’s Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Max Gradel and Didier Zokora, Egypt’s goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan, and Nigeria’s Joseph Yobo, underlining how consistently these names reached the sharp end of the competition.
