Here are the people who have completed the unachievable of winning the biggest tournament in Africa, AFCON, as both a player and a coach.
One of the feats in football history that isn’t often replicated is the feat of a former player winning the same trophy as a coach. The highly coveted AFCON title is also not exempt from this as we have just a limited number of people who have won one of the biggest continental trophies in football history, both as a player and as a coach.
It is important for these records and feats to be properly documented for historical purposes, which is why we have paid key attention to a record that remains unattainable to man,y even to dat,e and that is the record of winning the highly coveted AFCON title as players and coaches as well.
Have people won the AFCON as players and coaches?
Since the inception of the AFCON tournament, people have won the title as players and coaches. Only two people have managed to unlock this historical feat as both a player and a coach.
Mahmoud El-Gohary: Egypt
Egyptian football icon and legend Mahmoud El-Gohary became the first player in the history of African football to win AFCON as both a coach and a player. Mahmoud El-Gohary recorded the win as a player with the memorable Pharaohs of Egypt squad as a player in the 1959 tournament. He would later go on to win it as a coach several years later in the 1998 edition of the tournament.
Late Stephen Keshi: Nigeria
Can this feat be replicated at AFCON 2025?
With AFCON 2025 set for kick-off in December, anticipation is high in regards to what to expect for the tournament in the coming days. It remains to be seen if this feat can be replicated in the tournament as things stand.