Leicester City FC striker Patson Daka has scored 20 international goals in fewer matches than Chipolopolo icon Kalusha Bwalya.
The 25-year-old amassed that tally in just 43 appearances, making him the fourth-fastest player to achieve that record.
Ten-man Chipolopolo were headed for a shock defeat against Tanzania, but talisman Daka towered over the Taifa Stars defense to make it 1-1.
In doing so, Daka also became the first player to score at least one goal in each of the U-17, U-20, U-23, and senior editions of the African Cup of Nations.
Who hit 20 goals the quickest in Zambian football history?
The record for the quickest player to score 20 goals for the Zambian national team belongs to Godfrey ‘Ucar’ Chitalu. The Kabwe Warriors FC legend only needed 20 appearances to notch his 20th international goal, which he scored in Zambia’s 3-0 win over Malawi in 1971.
RANK | NAME | GOALS | CAPS | RATIO |
1. | Godfrey Chitalu | 79 | 111 | 0.71 |
2. | Alex Chola | 43 | 102 | 0.42 |
3. | Kalushya Bwalya | 39 | 87 | 0.45 |
4. | Bernard Chanda | 29 | 68 | 0.43 |
5. | Christopher Katongo | 23 | 103 | 0.22 |
6. | Collins Mbesuma | 22 | 65 | 0.34 |
7. | Denis Lota | 21 | 78 | 0.27 |
8. | Patson Daka | 20 | 43 | 0.46 |
9. | Kenneth Malitoli | 19 | 80 | 0.24 |
10. | James Chamanga | 17 | 63 | 0.27 |
Chitalu went on to become the continent’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 111 caps.
Ranked in second place is Power Dynamos FC legend Alex Chola, who tallied 20 international goals after just 38 appearances for Zambia. Chola was only 21 years old when he scored a hat-trick in Zambia’s 9-1 obliteration of Swaziland, netting his 20th, 21st, and 22nd international goals back in 1978.
The third fastest player to score 20 goals for the Zambian men’s senior national team is Bernard Chanda, who scored a brace in his 39th international cap against Botswana in 1976.
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Only three players have scored 20 international goals in fewer games than Chipolopolo marksman Daka, who achieved that feat in his 43rd appearance against Tanzania.
Daka comfortably beats Kalusha Bwalya’s tally of 20 international goals after 53 appearances. The 1998 African Footballer of the Year also scored his 20th goal for Zambia against Tanzania during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1993, when the Chipolopolo recorded a 3-1 victory over the Taifa Stars.