Inter Milan’s Best African Players of All-time

Inter Milan's Best African Players
Credit: Iconsport

On 10 June 2023, Internazionale or Inter Milan, winners of the 2022/23 Coppa Italia, will lock horns with 2022/23 Premier League and FA Cup champions Manchester City, in an exciting UEFA Champions League (UCL) final.

Playing in that game will be Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champion Riyad Mahrez, captain of the Algeria national team, and André Onana, former goalkeeper of the Cameroon Indomitable Lions. Inter also have a Nigerian in their ranks, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, who was recently promoted to their first team following a string of impressive performances with the U-19 team. Here are the best Africans to have donned the Nerazzurri shirt in recent history.

Nigerians Who Represented Inter Milan

The Nerazzurri have a love for Africans and have fielded quite a number in their history, Nigeria national football team players included. We will be starting off this list with Super Eagles players/prospects, past and present, who have turned out for Inter. How many Nigerians have played for Inter?

Including Akinsanmiro, there have been nine Nigerians who have played for Inter Milan. The other eight are:

  • Kanu Nwankwo
  • Taribo West
  • Obafemi Martins
  • Victor Nsofor
  • Isah Eliakwu
  • Obiorah Nwankwo
  • Joel Obi
  • Victor Moses

Only Taribo West, Joel Obi, Obafemi Martins and most recently, Akinsanmiro have won titles with the Nerazzurri. The best of the lot, however, was Martins, who Inter Milan news blogs and websites especially raved about in the five seasons he spent there. Many believe those were the best days of his career.

Kanu Nwankwo is the biggest name from Nigeria to have played for the team but unfortunately, he could not make his mark at the San Siro because he was diagnosed with the unfortunate heart condition which he battled with for most of his career upon joining the Italian giants.

Inter Milan's Best Africans Players

Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi is currently one of the world's most sought-after fullbacks after a brilliant career that has seen him win the UEFA Champions League, LaLiga, Ligue 1 and so many other titles.

He is also a member of the Morocco Atlas Lions team that made African history by being the first team from the continent to make it to the semifinals of the World Cup. He was also one of the game changers in Inter's renaissance season which saw them win the Scudetto in 2021 after more than a decade.

Sulley Muntari

The Ghanaian midfielder was reportedly handpicked by José Mourinho after his failed bid to sign Frank Lampard from Chelsea in the 2009 summer transfer window.

Sulley Muntari would go on to become a key player for the Nerazzurri, putting in solid performances in the Champions League round of 16 of that season as Inter claimed their third Champions League title to win the treble that season.

Samuel Eto'o

An all-time African great who won titles wherever he went while playing a protagonist's role, Samuel Eto'o is arguably the greatest African to have donned the Nerazzurri jersey. Alongside Muntari, he put in very strong performances for Inter in the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League to help Mourinho win the treble.

Until Victor Osimhen in the 2022/23 season, he was the highest scoring African in a single season of the Italian top flight. He spent only two years at the club, a stint many believed was two years too few.

This article was most recently revised and updated 5 months ago

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