Roger Milla vs Elías Figueroa: Stats Compared
Striker, Cameroon (born 1952, retired 1994) · Centre-Back, Chile (born 1946, retired 1982)
Put Roger Milla and Elías Figueroa side by side and you have a genuine generational conversation. Strip away the highlights and the medal count tells its own story for each man. Across his senior career Roger Milla notched 150 goals in 400 appearances (0.38 per game), while Elías Figueroa recorded 40 in 600 (0.07 per game). Because assists were not systematically tracked for much of their time, that side of the comparison rests on the footage that survives. In major honours Roger Milla collected 3 — headlined by 2× Africa Cup of Nations (1984, 1988) — whereas Elías Figueroa amassed 5, led by 2× Uruguayan Primera División (1967, 1968). Roger Milla built his medal haul through years of explosive consistency, while Elías Figueroa won his with elegant bursts of brilliance. Club journeys add another layer, with Roger Milla reaching his representative peak around 1990 across Union Douala, Valenciennes, Monaco, Bastia, Saint-Étienne, Montpellier, JS Kabylie and Elías Figueroa doing so around 1974 with Santiago Wanderers, Peñarol, Internacional, Palestino, Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
182 words · comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
The exuberant hero of Cameroon's 1990 World Cup run, Milla became the oldest World Cup goalscorer at 42 and made his corner-flag dance world famous.
“A joyful, clever striker whose sharp movement and composure produced decisive goals late into his career.”
A three-time South American Footballer of the Year, Figueroa is widely considered the finest defender the continent has produced, marshalling Internacional's dominant 1970s side.
“An imperious, elegant centre-back who combined aerial dominance with composed distribution well ahead of his era.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 2× Africa Cup of Nations (1984, 1988)
- 1× Coupe de France (1981)
- 2× Uruguayan Primera División (1967, 1968)
- 3× Campeonato Gaúcho (1973, 1974, 1975)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1974 Professional debut for Union Douala
- 1984 Won Africa Cup of Nations with Monaco
- 1981 Won Coupe de France with Monaco
- 1990 Reached the peak of his powers at Montpellier
- 1994 Retired after a final spell at JS Kabylie
- Finished his career with 150 goals in 400 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 150 goals in 400 appearances and 3 major honours.
- 1965 Professional debut for Santiago Wanderers
- 1967 Won Uruguayan Primera División with Peñarol
- 1973 Won Campeonato Gaúcho with Internacional
- 1974 Reached the peak of his powers at Internacional
- 1982 Retired after a final spell at Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Finished his career with 40 goals in 600 appearances and 5 major honours. Finished his career with 40 goals in 600 appearances and 5 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Elías Figueroa wins out by a clear margin on the weight of remarkable longevity.
Elías Figueroa edges it (a clear margin)
