22 September 2022
African Premier League stars of the past – where are they now?
Here’s a look at what some African Premier League legends have been up to since their playing days, from building coaching careers to making a lasting impact through charity work.
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Didier Drogba
As one of the most iconic African strikers, Didier Drogba managed to create an image that grew all over the world and that he’s put to good use to make a lasting impact on others after his retirement.
Drogba set up a charity foundation in 2007 that provides financial and material support in education and health to African children. He is still working on growing the project.
When Drogba signed for Phoenix Rising in 2017 (where he would end his playing career), he also became a part owner and he still has a stake in the club.
In 2020, he launched a bid to become president of the Ivory Coast Football Association. Despite being one of the early favourites, he didn’t receive enough votes to win the election.
Michael Essien
He’ll always be remembered as a tough, competitive midfielder for Chelsea and it seems that Michael Essien is going about building a coaching career with the same kind of determination that he showed in his playing days.
Essien ended his career in 2019 at Sabail in the Azerbaijan Premier League, where he concurrently coached their U19 team and got an introduction to a future in the dugout.
For the last two years, he’s been working as an assistant in Denmark at FC Nordsjaelland, who have a partnership with the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana.
Essien has made an impact at the club that narrowly missed out on European qualification last year. Everything seems to be in place for his coaching to go from strength to strength.
Kanu
As one of the famous Arsenal “Invincibles”, Kanu will always be known as a great player and competitor. Off the field, he’s continued to impress with his work in charity and in business.
Kanu is regarded as a national icon in Nigeria where he is known for his philanthropy. He founded the Kanu Heart Foundation, which helps young children with heart defects. He also works extensively in his role as an ambassador for UNICEF.
In addition, he’s pursued many business interests, including starting a modelling agency and photographic studio in Nigeria called Papilo (which is his nickname). He has also created his own football team called Papilo FC.
Jay-Jay Okocha
Jay-Jay Okocka will always be known as a player that put smiles on everyone’s faces with his skill and flair. That trait of making people happy has extended to his post-playing days.
Since retiring, Okocha has returned to Nigeria and pursued various business interests, which included a nightclub called Club 10, which he has since closed.
In 2016, he launched the Jay-Jay Okocha Foundation that has the primary objective of using football to raise awareness on the importance of education, peace and unity for the growth of Nigeria.
He also held the role of vice-chairman of the Delta State Football Association for two years before getting elected as the association’s chairman. However, he stepped down at the start of 2019 due to his busy schedule.
Yaya Toure
As one of the main catalysts that launched Manchester City into the successful trophy-winning juggernaut that it is today, Yaya Toure will always bring a sense of power and success to any environment he enters.
A couple of years after retiring, Toure moved into the coaching side of the game starting in Ukraine as an assistant manager at Olimpik Donetsk.
He only lasted four months before taking up another assistant sole at Akhmat Grozny in Russia. This time, he lasted six months at the club.
Toure then had an opportunity to return to England, where he joined Tottenham as an academy coach on a part-time basis while he was completing his coaching badges. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that he had taken up the position full-time.
Benni McCarthy
As a fan-favourite at Blackburn Rovers and the record goalscorer for South Africa, Benni McCarthy’s playing credentials speak for themselves.
Since then, his coaching credentials have continued to speak louder and louder.
McCarthy always expressed an interest in coaching and joined Celtic in Scotland in 2013 to get some experience. A year later he joined Hibernian as a temporary coach while working towards completing his UEFA Pro Licence.
Then he had a spell coaching the strikers at Belgian side Sint-Truidense and later became the club’s assistant manager. Unfortunately, his role was short-lived and he left by mutual consent in April 2016.
In 2017, McCarthy was handed his first taste of football management when he returned home to be the head coach of Cape Town City. He was at the club for an eventful two years, which included his first trophy win as a manager when he lifted the MTN 8 in 2018, but he was sacked after some disappointing results.
He then joined AmaZulu, where he impressed by guiding them to their best ever league position of second before leaving by mutual consent.
Then came the dream opportunity this year as new Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag brought McCarthy to the club as a first-team coach. So far, his effect only looks positive with United’s results on the up.
Could we be witnessing a career move that results in him managing a Premier League club?
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