SOCCER PLAYERS from Zambia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Zambian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Zambian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Zambian Soccer Players.

1. Godfrey Chitalu (1947 - 1993)

With an HPI of 61.47, Godfrey Chitalu is the most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Godfrey Chitalu (22 October 1947 – 27 April 1993), nicknamed Ucar, was a Zambian footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as the greatest Zambian player of all time as he holds his national team's goalscoring record and was voted Zambian footballer of the year five times. In 2006, he was selected by CAF as one of the best 200 African footballers of the past 50 years. Chitalu is the all-time African men's top goal scorer in international football with 79 goals. The Football Association of Zambia claimed that Chitalu scored more than 100 goals in all competitions in 1972, more than Gerd Müller's total in the same year and Lionel Messi's total in 2012, both of which are often referred to by journalist as "world records". The research was presented in the year 2012 after Messi broke the alleged world record of Müller. Nevertheless, a FIFA spokesman declared that an official FIFA world record had never existed as they did not keep track of domestic competitions. Upon retirement, Chitalu took to coaching and was in charge of the Zambia national team when the entire squad perished in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon on 27 April 1993.

2. Kalusha Bwalya (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 55.40, Kalusha Bwalya is the 2nd most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kalusha Bwalya (born 16 August 1963) is a Zambian former professional footballer. He is Zambia's eighth-most capped player and third on the list of all-time top goalscorers behind Godfrey Chitalu and Alex Chola. Kalusha was named African Footballer of the Year in 1988 by the magazine France Football and was nominated for the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year where he was voted the 12th-best player in the world, the first to be nominated after playing the entire year for a non-European club. His older brother Benjamin Bwalya played professional football, and his younger brother Joel Bwalya also played for Zambia. His cousin is former Cardiff City and Welsh national team member Robert Earnshaw. His career as a player, coach and president of the Football Association of Zambia is partly shown in the documentary film "Eighteam". On 20 March 2016, Kalusha lost the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) elections in an upset to businessman-turned football official Andrew Kamanga by 163 to 156 votes. In August 2018, the world football governing body FIFA banned Bwalya for two years from all football-related activities at both national and international level. The FIFA adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee found him guilty of having violated article 16 (Confidentiality) and article 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) of the FIFA Code of Ethics. It is alleged that Bwalya received a bribe in the form of a gift from Mohammed Bin Hammam, a Qatari official. Kalusha is considered one of the greatest players in Zambian football history.

3. Christopher Katongo (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 46.29, Christopher Katongo is the 3rd most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Christopher Katongo (born 31 August 1982) is a Zambian former professional footballer who played as a striker. At international level, he amassed over 100 caps between 2003 and 2016 for the Zambia national team. He is an Africa Cup of Nations winner and won the BBC's African Footballer of the Year award in 2012, winning just over 40% of the public vote. His win is stated to have inspired a number of young players in Zambia.

4. Emmanuel Mayuka (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 45.02, Emmanuel Mayuka is the 4th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Emmanuel Mayuka (born 21 November 1990) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a striker for the NAPSA Stars and the Zambia national team. He was the top scorer of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

5. Jacob Mulenga (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 43.67, Jacob Mulenga is the 5th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Jacob Mulenga (born 12 February 1984) is a Zambian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Mulenga started his footballing career at age 18 with hometown club Afrisport, before moving to Châteauroux in 2004. Five years later, he moved to FC Utrecht where he made his definitive breakthrough but also suffered two serious knee injuries. After successful stints in Turkey and China, Mulenga returned to the Netherlands in 2020 where he signed for Go Ahead Eagles. Between 2004 and 2014, he made 41 appearances scoring nine goals for the Zambia national team.

6. Enock Mwepu (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 43.60, Enock Mwepu is the 6th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Enock Mwepu (born 1 January 1998) is a Zambian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Having begun his career in his native Zambia, Mwepu signed for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2017 before moving Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021. Mwepu represented and captained the Zambia national team. On 10 October 2022, he was forced to retire following the discovery of a hereditary heart condition.

7. Guus Til (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 43.31, Guus Til is the 7th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Guus Berend Til (born 22 December 1997) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club PSV and the Netherlands national team.

8. Patson Daka (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 41.90, Patson Daka is the 8th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Patson Daka (born 9 October 1998) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Leicester City and the Zambia national team. Daka's career trajectory began within the youth system, where he showcased his abilities playing for local club Kafue Celtic. Subsequently, he was sent on loan to Nchanga Rangers and Power Dynamos, where he was able to further hone his skills. In January 2017, Daka joined Red Bull Salzburg's reserve team Liefering in Austria, and was then made part of the first team in the following summer. He helped Salzburg win four Austrian Bundesliga titles and three Austrian Cups. In summer 2021, Daka joined Leicester City in the Premier League. Daka made his senior international debut for Zambia in 2015 at the age of 16.

9. Kennedy Mweene (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 41.76, Kennedy Mweene is the 9th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kennedy Mweene (born 11 December 1984) is a retired Zambian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. On club level he spent most of his career in South African Premier Soccer League clubs Free State Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns. For the Zambia national team, he is the most capped player, having represented Zambia more than 120 times.

10. James Chamanga (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 40.13, James Chamanga is the 10th most famous Zambian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

James Chamanga (born 2 February 1980) is a Zambian professional football who plays as a striker for Red Arrows.