Chelsea vs Liverpool: Sadio Mane, 7 Other African Greatest Winners of EFL Cup Ahead of the Final

• The 2023-24 EFL Cup final is set to take place at Wembley on Sunday
• The final is between two Premier League sides, Chelsea and Liverpool
• Sports Brief lists the top African players that have won the competition

Chelsea are set to take on Liverpool in a mouth-watering 2023/24 EFL Carabao Cup final at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday, February 25.

The Blues are hunting for their first trophy under Mauricio Pochettino, while Liverpool hopes to extend their record of wins in the competition to 10. At the same time, it would be a start to one of the four titles they could win in Jurgen Klopp's last season.

Ahead of the final, Sports Brief takes a look at the greatest African winners of the competition.

Top 8 African winners of EFL Cup

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1. Sadio Mane

During his time with Liverpool, the Senegalese forward won the competition in the 2021-22 season.

Just like this year's final, the clash was between the Merseyside Reds and Chelsea, with the match being decided on penalties. Both teams failed to score in the entire 120 minutes of play.

2. Didier Drogba

The Ivorian legend won the Carabao Cup three times and lost in the final once while playing for Chelsea in England.

Drogba's first EFL cup came in 2005, and he scored in the extra-time as Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2; he followed up with a 2-1 win against London rivals Arsenal two years later, scoring both goals for the Blues.

He completed his hat-trick in 2015 when the Blues defeated Tottenham in the final.

3. John Mikel Obi

The former Super Eagles midfielder is one of the most successful players in Nigeria's history and won the EFL Cup twice.

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He was sent off in the final against Arsenal in 2007 and was part of the Chelsea squad that won it in 2015.

4. Mohamed Salah

Like Sadio Mane, the Egyptian international was part of the Liverpool side that defeated Chelsea in the 2022 final.

The former Chelsea star could face his old club in this year's final, hoping to add to his medal cabinet as a Liverpool player.

5. Riyad Mahrez

The Algerian international was part of the Manchester City squad that won the competition three consecutive times between 2019 and 2021.

The former Leicester City forward share the same number of wins with Drogba.

6. Yaya Toure

The former Barcelona made his mark at Manchester City and won the League Cup twice.

Toure's first title came in 2014 against Sunderland, in which he scored the Cityzens' first goal in a 3-1 win, while the second came in 2016 against Liverpool, scoring the winning penalty.

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7. Michael Essien

The former Ghanaian international had his best club football while playing for Chelsea and was part of the Blues side that won the League Cup in 2007 against Liverpool.

8. Bruce Grobbelaar

The legendary Zimbabwean shot-stopper is the only goalkeeper on the list, winning the competition three consecutive times between 1982 and 1984.

How much Chelsea will get if they win Carabao Cup

Sports Brief earlier reported the amount of money Chelsea could earn if they win the Carabao Cup ahead of Liverpool this season.

The new ownership has tightened the bonuses purse at the club despite spending a lot of money on new signings.