Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a significant influx of football talent from Africa. The Premier League has witnessed many foreign talents coming to England, but the sport has evolved globally to a level previously unprecedented. In recent years, more and more players from this continent have been playing for some of the world’s biggest clubs, and as a result, they have become some of the highest-paid players on the planet. Especially in recent years, player salaries have soared higher, reaching levels that seemed unimaginable not long ago. As mentioned, bestsoccertips.com has decided to review the 10 richest football player in Africa today.
Here are the top 10 wealthiest African footballers:
10. Sadio Mane – $20 million
As a versatile forward, Mane is a prolific goal scorer with key attributes being finishing ability, speed, technique, ball control, decision-making, tactical awareness, creativity, agility, balance, dribbling, and dribbling skills. In addition to his attacking prowess, his high defensive work rate has also been noted by experts.
Mane will now play for the Saudi club Al Nassr alongside Ronaldo. He frequently donates to charity and helps build hospitals and schools for the people of Senegal. Sadio Mane is estimated to rank among the wealthiest African footballers in the world as of 2023, with a net worth of $20 million.
9. Victor Moses – $21 million
Moses began his career in the Championship with Crystal Palace before catching the eye of Wigan Athletic, where he made his Premier League debut in 2010. After two years, his performances progressed to the point where European champions Chelsea showed interest, and he signed with them in the summer of 2012.
Born in Nigeria, Moses played for England’s youth teams at the under-16, under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels but chose to represent Nigeria instead of the full England national team. Before retiring from international duty in 2013, he made his debut for the Nigerian national team in 2012, earning 38 caps and scoring 12 goals.
8. Michael Essien – $35 million
Essien is a player with exceptional physical abilities, often appearing in the central midfield position. He is known as a box-to-box midfielder for his relentless strength and energy, contributing to both attacking and defensive aspects on the field. Essien’s playing style is characterized by power and toughness, earning him the nickname “The Bison”.
In addition to his physical strength and hard work ethic, Essien also possesses good individual technique, deep tactical vision, and excellent leadership qualities. His organizational skills and ability to adjust his playing style have highlighted his versatility and adaptability in various situations on the field.
7. Emmanuel Adebayor – $45 million
He is also known for his speed, strength, and outstanding individual technique, especially his goal-scoring ability and effective connections with his teammates. However, he has faced disciplinary issues in his career on several occasions.
Adebayor represented the Togo national team at the World Cup for the first and only time to date, in the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. He made history in Togolese football by becoming the all-time leading goal scorer for the national team, with a total of 32 goals.
After a brilliant and successful career, Adebayor announced his retirement from professional football on March 21, 2023, at the age of 39.
6. John Mikel Obi – $45 million
Mikel’s football career began at the age of 16 with the Enyimba Football Club of Aba in the Nigerian Football League. His success at this club paved the way for him to play for the Nigerian U-17 team. His football career has been successful since then, and he continued to sign with Chelsea FC.
He played 91 times for Nigeria over 14 years of international competition, from 2005 to 2019, scoring 6 goals while leading the Super Eagles to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title. Mikel has also won numerous titles, including the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League, and others. Most of his wealth comes from endorsements and personal investments in real estate.
5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – $50 million
Aubameyang is the all-time leading goal scorer for Gabon. He made his senior debut for Gabon in 2009, at the age of 19, and appeared in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2016, Aubameyang was honored as the African Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Gabonese and second European-born Gabonese player to win the award.
Aubameyang began his professional club career with AC Milan in Italy, but he never played for the team due to multiple loan spells in France. Aubameyang became the most expensive Gabonese player of all time and one of the most expensive African players ever in 2018 when he signed with Arsenal for £56 million. He is currently playing for Marseille in Ligue 1.
4. Yaya Touré – $70 million
Touré primarily plays in the center of the field as a holding midfielder or box-to-box midfielder, often transitioning between attacking and defensive roles throughout matches in the latter position. Touré is a complete and versatile midfielder. He can also play as a central defender or in the number 10 role. His main strengths lie in passing ability, vision, and physicality.
He has a good technical ability and ball control, although he also excels defensively in breaking up opponent attacks and regaining possession through his powerful tackling. Yaya Touré also has goal-scoring abilities through powerful long-range shots and heading, as well as adept finishing from free kicks and penalties. He represented his country in six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015, winning the title in 2015 and helping them to runners-up positions in 2006 and 2012.
3. Didier Drogba – $90 million
He is noted for his physicality, speed, aerial prowess, powerful and accurate shooting, as well as ball retention ability. Drogba is renowned for his performances in big matches, with a record of 10 goals in 10 finals and winning 10 titles at club level.
As one of the greatest African players of all time, Drogba is often ranked among the top three greatest African strikers, alongside George Weah and Samuel Eto’o. Drogba has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Samsung, Pepsi, Adidas, Nike, and Konami. He is famous for his outstanding goal-scoring ability, passion for the game, and love for luxury cars.
2. Mohamed Salah – $90 million
Salah is primarily known for his speed, movement, clinical finishing, agility, dribbling skills, first touch, and ball control, as well as the ability to use both speed and finesse when dribbling to beat opponents and create goal-scoring opportunities for himself or his teammates.
As a versatile forward, he mainly plays as a right-wing forward, a position that allows him to cut inside onto his stronger left foot and shoot on goal or interchange quickly with other players and make runs behind the defensive line. He can also play in the center behind the main striker as an attacking midfielder or second striker. He has helped Liverpool win numerous titles, including the UEFA Champions League.
1. Samuel Eto’o – $95 million
At his peak, Eto’o was considered one of the best strikers in the world by experts and is regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, winning the African Footballer of the Year award four times: in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010. At the age of 16, Eto’o moved to Real Madrid, one of the wealthiest football clubs in the world.
Before moving to Mallorca in 2000, where he scored 70 goals, he was often loaned out due to competition for his position from more experienced players. Eto’o finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting in 2005 while playing for Barcelona. He was also twice nominated for the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2005 and 2006. Eto’o has been able to invest in numerous real estate projects worldwide due to the extraordinary earning potential from his playing days.
Conclusion
In summary, these footballers epitomize the pinnacle of success both on and off the field, representing the best of African talent in the global football arena. Their achievements not only reflect their exceptional skills and dedication but also serve as inspirations for aspiring players across the continent. As icons of the game, they continue to shape the landscape of football while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to admire and emulate.
See more: List of the most famous football players with number 25 today
