Schalke's Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund and Hertha stirker Saloman Kalou (l. to r.) are three Bundesliga stars set to compete at this year's Africa Cup of Nations
Schalke's Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund and Hertha stirker Saloman Kalou (l. to r.) are three Bundesliga stars set to compete at this year's Africa Cup of Nations

The Bundesliga's African stars

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Cologne - As many as seven players will be representing the Bundesliga at this year's African Cup of Nations, with the tournament set to take place between 17 January and 8 February in Equatorial Guinea.

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Salomon Kalou and Co. are only the latest Africans to leave a lasting impression on the German top flight, however. Let bundesliga.com fill you in on some of the continent's players to have made the biggest splash...

Cedric Makiadi (DR Congo) is the player with the most appearances currently plying his trade in the Bundesliga. The 30-year-old has racked up 218 matches and 17 goals with Wolfsburg, SC Freiburg and current club SV Werder Bremen.

The second-highest African goalscorer in the Bundesliga is former Nigerian international Jonathan Akpoborie (61 goals for FC Hansa Rostock, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg).

First African

Ibrahim Sunday was the first-ever African player to feature in the Bundesliga. The Ghanaian made his only top-flight appearance in Germany in a 2-0 defeat for SV Werder Bremen at Rot-Weiss Essen, being withdrawn at half time.

The first time African players were crowned Bundesliga champions was in 1994/95. Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana) made 14 appearances, Marc Arnold (South Africa) turned out nine times and Yahaya Mallam (Ghana) played twice to help BVB win the Meisterschale.

The other African players to have clinched the league title are Arthur Boka (Stuttgart, 2007), Otto Addo (Dortmund, 2002), Ahmed Reda Madouni (Dortmund, 2002), Andrew Sinkala (Bayern, 2000) and Pascal Ojigwe (1. FC Kaiserslautern, 1998).