SOCCER PLAYERS from Gabon

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Gabonese Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Gabonese 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 Gabonese Soccer Players.

1. Guélor Kanga (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 39.93, Guélor Kanga is the most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Guélor Kanga Kaku (born 1 September 1990) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serbian club Red Star Belgrade and the Gabon national team.

2. Mario Lemina (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 39.82, Mario Lemina is the 2nd most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Mario René Junior Lemina (French pronunciation: [maʁjo ləmina]; born 1 September 1993) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Gabon national team. He played for French sides Lorient and Marseille, before joining Italian side Juventus in 2015, where he won the domestic double in both of his seasons with the club, as well as appearing in the 2017 UEFA Champions League final. He joined English side Southampton in 2017, and was later loaned out to Turkish club Galatasaray in 2019. After a loan to Fulham in England, he joined French club Nice in 2021. In January 2023, he returned to England after signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers. A former French international at youth level, Lemina went on to represent Gabon at senior level, making his senior international debut in 2017. He later represented Gabon at the 2017 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He has a younger brother Noha Lemina, who is also a professional footballer.

3. Didier Ovono (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 36.38, Didier Ovono is the 3rd most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Didier Janvier Ovono Ebang (born 23 January 1983) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Championnat National 2 club Saumur.

4. Daniel Cousin (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 35.47, Daniel Cousin is the 4th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Daniel Michel Cousin (born 7 February 1977) is a Gabonese former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for Martigues, Chamois Niortais, Le Mans Union Club 72, RC Lens, Rangers, Hull City, Larissa and Sapins, as well as the Gabon national team. In March 2019, Cousin formally signed a contract to serve as a coach of Gabon national team despite being confirmed in September 2018, but left a few weeks later before being appointed manager of French club ES Fos-sur-Mer.

5. Bruno Ecuele Manga (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 32.88, Bruno Ecuele Manga is the 5th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Bruno Ecuele Manga (born 16 July 1988) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for the Gabon national team. He is known for being a tough tackler. After beginning his career with FC 105 Libreville in his home country, joined French side Bordeaux in 2006. He played for the club's reserve side and spent time on loan with lower division side Rodez but only one appearance for the senior side, before being released in 2008. He subsequently joined Ligue 2 side Angers, making more than 50 appearances in two seasons before joining Lorient in 2010 for a fee of €2.5 million. He made his Ligue 1 debut with Lorient and went on to make more than 100 appearances in the top tier of French football. He was appointed club captain ahead of the 2012–13 season and remained in the role until 2014 when he signed for Championship side Cardiff City for €5 million. He spent four seasons in the division before helping the club win promotion to the Premier League after finishing as Championship runners-up in the 2017–18 season. Manga made his international debut for Gabon in 2006 and has accumulated over 100 caps to date, representing the side at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

6. Frédéric Bulot (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 32.03, Frédéric Bulot is the 6th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Frédéric Bulot Wagha (born 27 September 1990), better known as Frédéric Bulot, is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Doxa Katokopias. He was a French youth international, having earned caps with all levels, beginning with the under-16 team.

7. André Biyogo Poko (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 31.23, André Biyogo Poko is the 7th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

André Ivan Biyogo Poko (born 1 January 1993) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Croatian First League club Istra 1961 and for the Gabon national team. He was part of the Gabon national team in the 2021 AFCON tournament in Cameroon.

8. Bruno Zita Mbanangoyé (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 30.86, Bruno Zita Mbanangoyé is the 8th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Bruno Mbanangoyé Zita (born 15 July 1980) is a Gabonese former football who played as a midfielder. He was a member of the Gabon national team.

9. Aaron Boupendza (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 28.93, Aaron Boupendza is the 9th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi (born 7 August 1996) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club Rapid București and the Gabon national team. Formed at CF Mounana, where he won the Gabon Championnat National D1 in 2015–16, he signed for Bordeaux in 2016. He played only for the reserve team and out on loan, finishing as top scorer of the Championnat National for Pau in 2017–18. In 2020 he signed for Hatayspor, and was top scorer in the Süper Lig in 2020–21. He then had one season each with Al Arabi of the Qatar Stars League and Al Shabab of the Saudi Pro League, winning a Qatar FA Cup with the former in 2022. A full international for Gabon since 2016, Boupendza represented the country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

10. Aaron Appindangoyé (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 28.71, Aaron Appindangoyé is the 10th most famous Gabonese Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Aaron Christopher Billy Ondélé Appindangoyé (born 20 February 1992) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Turkish club Kocaelispor.