Patson Daka broke into the list of the top ten all-time scorers for Zambia following his strikes against Congo Brazzaville and Niger.
The Leicester City striker scored a brace against Congo Brazzaville in a 4-2 win and grabbed a consolation goal for the Copper Bullets in their shock 2-1 defeat to Niger in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Daka’s goal in Marrakech took his national team tally to 18 goals in 40 appearances. It also saw him move ninth in the top ten all-time scorers for the Chipolopolo.
Sitting at the top of that list is the African continent’s most prolific international goalscorer, Godfrey Chitalu, who amassed 79 goals in only 111 caps.
The former Kabwe Warriors marksman holds a substantial lead over second-placed Alex Chola, who scored 43 goals in 102 games.
Coming in third place on the list is the 1998 African Footballer of the Year, Kalusha Bwalya, with 39 goals in 87 national team outings.
Daka projected to surpass Great Kalu
Daka, only 25 years old, has embarked on a mission to power his way to the top of the list. But he will face the daunting task of breaking Chitalu’s long-standing record.
However, the striker’s goalscoring return so far has provided a clear indication that he has what it takes to surpass the goalscoring feats of all the Chipolopolo legends, ranking below Godfrey Chitalu.
| 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. | Kenneth Malitoli | 19 | 80 | 0.24 |
| 9. | Patson Daka | 18 | 40 | 0.45 |
| 10. | James Chamanga | 17 | 63 | 0.27 |
In the top 10, only Chitalu’s 0.71 goals-per-game ratio ranks ahead of Daka’s 0.45 goals-per-game return.
In short, Daka’s goal-scoring efficiency is equal to that of Kalusha Bwalya (0.45), and better than Bernard Chanda (0.43), Alex Chola (0.42), Collins Mbesuma’s (0.34), Christopher Katongo’s (0.22), etc.
Hence, if Daka continues to score as often as he does, he is projected to rank second on the list by the time he reaches 100 appearances for the Chipolopolo.
And given the fact that he has yet to reach his prime, not many would write him off to break the late Chitalu’s formidable tally of 79 international goals.
Chitalu is also the continent’s all-time top scorer when it comes to national team goals. No African player in history has scored more goals for their country than the Zambian football legend did.
