Taonsa sets early pace as African scorers make their mark across Europe

The 2026-27 season is only a few weeks old, but Axel Sountonoma Taonsa has already emerged as the leading African goalscorer in Europe. The Ivorian-Burkinabe attacking midfielder has scored six times for Vasteras SK in Sweden, topping the standings as of 26 August.

The early list also includes several familiar names and a number of unexpected contenders from less prominent leagues. Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has made a particularly strong start in Turkey, scoring four goals in his first two league matches. Mohamed Salah has also opened his account twice for new club Trabzonspor.

Among players operating in Europe’s so-called Big Five leagues, Algeria international Amine Gouiri is one of the early leaders. He scored twice for Olympique de Marseille in their match against Strasbourg. His former Gabon team-mate from last season, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has also scored two goals since joining his new club, La Corogne.

The wider standings have produced some notable surprises. Algeria right-back Kevin Guitoun has been among the early standout performers, scoring twice in Belgium for Charleroi.

Sirius defender Mohamed Soumah is another unusual name near the top of the list. The Guinea international plays in central defence rather than as a conventional forward, making his scoring contribution in Sweden all the more unexpected.

Durosinmi makes immediate impact at Genk

Nigerian striker Rafiu Durosinmi is in fourth place and is one of the players attracting attention at the start of the campaign. The 23-year-old moved to Genk from Pisa during the summer and has scored in each of his first three Belgian league appearances, giving him three goals already.

He is level on three goals with Leandro Sanca. The 26-year-old winger, who represents Guinea-Bissau internationally, has played for Piast Gliwice in Poland since 2025.

Another early-season surprise is Sierra Leone winger Momoh Ibrahim Kamara. The 21-year-old has established himself on the right wing for Elfsborg and has registered three goals and four assists in the Allsvenskan.

The ranking compiled by Afrik-Foot covers African players competing in Europe’s 15 highest-ranked leagues according to the UEFA coefficient. Those competitions are Ligue 1, the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A, Liga Portugal, the Eredivisie, the Super Lig, the Jupiler Pro League, the Scottish Premiership, the Swiss Super League, the Greek Super League, the Danish Superliga, the Polish Ekstraklasa and the Swedish Allsvenskan.

Only goals scored by African players in those leagues are included. If a player is also involved in European competition, goals scored on the continental stage are counted as well.

Afrik-Foot sometimes publishes a separate view of the Big Five: Ligue 1, the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A. Whenever that narrower basis is used, it is identified separately.

Last season, in 2025-26, Osimhen finished as Europe’s leading African scorer with 22 goals across domestic leagues and European competitions. He shared that total with fellow Nigeria international Paul Onuachu of Trabzonspor.

Using only the Big Five leagues, Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy was the leading African scorer, having scored 21 goals for the German club in league and European matches. When only domestic league goals were counted, Guirassy shared top spot with Ghana and Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, who scored 17 times in the Premier League.

Romain Lantheaume says he first fell in love with African football through Didier Drogba before discovering Afrik-Foot in 2013. He says the two have remained closely connected ever since.