African footballers are among the highest-paid athletes in Africa. When discussing the richest footballers in Africa and their net worth, we take into consideration earnings from salaries, prize money, investments and endorsement deals.
So, who is Africa’s wealthiest footballers? Here is a detailed list below
#1 Samuel Eto’o
Citizenship: Cameroonian
Role: Striker
Net worth estimate: $95million
Awards: He is a four-time winner of the African Player of the Year award, having won it in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010. He is the most decorated African player of all time. Eto’o retires as Cameroon’s all-time leading scorer, among other achievements.
Goal history: 426goals
At the age of 11, Samuel Etoo, a striker, entered the Kadji Sports Academy. He trained there from 1992 to 1996 before moving to a French soccer club, but he was turned down owing to his youth and lack of valid identification.
Eto’o never gave up hope and joined Real Madrid the next year, where he finished his young career. He began his career with Real Madrid (1997–2000).
His net worth is believed to be $95 million. Eto’o drives the most expensive car in the world, a Bugatti Veyron, and is the only African footballer who owns one. A Ferrari, a Bentley, a Lamborghini, a Hummer Jeep, a Porch, and a family bus are all included in the fleet. Almost every member of his nuclear family rides in something enormous, thus he doesn’t buy the wheels for himself alone.
#2 Didier Yves Drogba
Citizenship: Ivorian
Role: Striker
Net worth estimate: $90 million
Award: Chelsea and Galatasaray both received ten trophies (4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 2 Community Shields, 1 Champions League, and 1 Turkish Super Cup). African Footballer of the Year, Ivory Coast Player of the Year, FIFA World Player of the Year, BBC African Footballer of the Year are just a few of the awards he has received.
Drogba’s journey to football began when his parents sent him to live with his uncle, professional footballer Michel Goba. His move from french club Marseille to Chelsea FC in England brought him fame and riches. He possessed talent, trickery, confidence, and technique. He is one of the best players in African football history.
Samsung, Pepsi, Adidas, Nike, and Konami are just a few of the world’s most well-known brands with which Drogba has collaborated. From 2006 until his retirement from the Ivory Coast national team in 2014, Didier Drogba captained the Ivory Coast, national team. He is the nation’s all time highest goalscorer with 65 goals from 105 appearances.
#3 Yaya Toure
Citizenship: Ivorian
Role: Midfielder
Net worth estimate: $70 million
Awards: Yaya has won the African Footballer of the Year award four times and the BBC African Footballer of the Year award twice, all of which were voted on by the public. He’s also been named to the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions.
For the years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, Yaya Touré was named African Footballer of the Year. Manchester paid him £250,000 per week, and his endorsements netted him $21.7 million.
Forbes estimates his personal investment to be $46.4 million, and his overall net worth to be $70 million, making him one of Africa’s wealthiest footballers. Yaya Toure has always been a devotee of high-end automobiles and houses. He has Porsche 911, Mercedes Benz, Bentley Continental GT, and Porsche Cayenne in the past.
#4 Mohamed Salah
Citizenship: Egyptian
Role: Forward
Net worth estimate: $70 million
Awards: Salah has won numerous awards over the years, including the PFA Player of the Year 2018, CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year 2012, Premier League Golden Boot 2017, 2019, African Player of the Year 2018/2019, Premier League Player of the Month 2018, 2019, FWA Footballer of the Year 2018, BBC African Footballer of the Year 2017, and others.
Mohamed Salah, also known as Mo Salah, is without a doubt one of Africa’s most beloved footballers. Salah was born in Egypt on June 15, 1992, and despite having a strong academic background, he chose to pursue his ambition of being a professional football player.
His net worth of $70 million demonstrates his success as a player, as he makes a large weekly wage and has endorsements from big brands such as Adidas, Falken Tyres, Uber, and others.
#5. John Mikel Obi
Citizenship: Nigerian
Role: Midfielder
Net worth estimate: $60 million
Awards: He has a total of 10 major winners’ medals all at Chelsea: 1 UEFA Champions League 2011–12, 4 FA Cup 2006–12 back to back, 2 Premier League 2009–10, 2014–15, 2 Capital One Cup 2006–07, 2014-15, 1 UEFA Europa League 2012–13. Mikel also won the African Cup of Nations in 2013.
He was born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna, but his name was changed to “Mikel” after a mistake in his name was submitted to FIFA by the Nigerian Football Association in 2013 for a competition in Finland and is still stuck with it.
He has played for Chelsea in the English Premier League and Lyn Oslo in Norway, and is without a doubt one of Africa’s wealthiest footballers. His weekly salary at Tianjin Teda was 140 thousand pounds. Mikel Obi’s home and automobiles are extremely luxurious and pricey.
He also has a Bentley Continental GT (which costs over N35 million), a costly Mercedes G Wagon (#81 million), a beautiful Range Rover Sport (#43 million), and a black Mercedes G 500.
Obi Mikel earns a lot of money not only from football but also from endorsements such as Pepsi and Samsung.
#6. Seydou Keita
Citizenship: Mali
Role: Midfielder
Net worth estimate: $51 million
Awards: At the 1999 Fifa U-20 World Cup, he was awarded the golden ball as the tournament’s best player. There are 12 major winners’ medals in total, including two Champions League winners.
Seydou Keita is a versatile player who can play as a center midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder on the pitch. He began his professional football career when he was 17 years old. At the age of 20, he represented Mali in the African Cup of Nations games for the seventh time.
In 2012, he joined FC Dalian Aerbin of the Chinese Super League, where he earns €14 million a year. He owns a number of mansions, as well as luxury cars costing millions of dollars and other valuables.
#7. Emmanuel Adebayor
Citizenship: Nigerian/ Togolese
Role: Striker
Net worth estimate: $45 million
Awards: On the 10th of February 2009, CAF announced Adebayor as the 2008 African Footballer of the Year at an awards ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria. He was the first Togolese footballer to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
Adebayor, a professional footballer, has benefited greatly not only from his successful football career but also through his several contracts with the majority of England’s wealthiest clubs.
In the English Premier League, he played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs, and Crystal Palace.
The striker earned a reported $268,000 a week while at Manchester City, and by 2015, he had a net worth of $45 million.
With many mansions, supercars, and high-flying private jets, he enjoys a lavish lifestyle.
#8. Michael Essien
Citizenship: Ghanaian
Role: Midfielder
Net worth estimate: $35 million
Awards: Essien was a key member of Chelsea’s Premier League triumphs in 2006 and 2010, as well as three FA Cups and one League Cup.
Michael Essien is a Ghanaian footballer who has appeared in the champions league and the premier league on numerous occasions. This midfielder has a plethora of houses, high-end automobiles costing millions of dollars, and other valuables.
He played for a number of prestigious European clubs, including Bastia and Lyon in France, Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Millan, and others. He is currently unemployed and has a net worth of $35 million.
#9. Asamoah Gyan
Citizenship: Ghanaian
Role: Striker
Net worth estimate: $23 million
Awards: CAF Africa’s Finest XI
With an estimated net worth of $23 million, Asamoah Gyan is the eighth richest footballer in Africa on our list of the top ten richest footballers in Africa. This fantastic striker has a plethora of houses, high-end automobiles worth millions of dollars, and other valuables.
His assets include a $3 million McCarthy Hill home and a Rolls Royce valued over $400,000. Asamoah just received a license to run a private airline in Ghana, nicknamed “Baby Jet Airlines.”
#10. Sulley Ali
Citizenship: Ghanaian
Role: Midfielder
Net worth estimate: $22 million
Awards: FIFA Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player of the Year, BBC African Footballer of the Year, African Footballer of the Year, Ivory Coast Player of the Year, FIFA Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player of the Year
This soccer star has reaped significant rewards not only from his profitable playing career but also from his several contracts with England’s wealthiest clubs. In 2012, he received $7,540,000 from permanent contracts and $8,810,000 from Tottenham Hotspur’s yearly compensation.
While at Manchester City, the striker reportedly earned $268,000 a week and had a net worth of $45 million by 2015.
He lives a wealthy lifestyle, with multiple houses, supercars, and high-flying private jets.
In fact, he is so passionate about automobiles that he owns a car pimping business and drives a Lamborghini Gallardo valued at almost £96,000. In his garage, he has an Escalade, a Mercedes Benz, and a Ferrari.