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The 10 Richest African Footballers By Net Worth

The 10 Richest African Footballers By Net Worth

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Football is a sport in which the top professionals are amongst the richest athletes on the planet, and African players are some of the top earning individuals. The players at the top of the sport earn a fortune as a combination of their club salaries and the massive endorsement deals that they enjoy with top global sponsors, pushing their net worth to incredible levels. AFKSports looks at the 10 Richest African Footballers according to a comprehensive list put together by Forbes.

Source: Forbes.

Christopher Samba
Christopher Samba – thesun.co.uk

10) Christopher Samba – $8 million

The Congolese player currently plays for Dynamo Moscow, but it was at Anzhi Makhachkala where he built the bulk of his fortune, with a weekly wage of $160,000 at the time. The 31-year-old did very well for himself, especially considering his position, as defenders do not often earn as much as the top strikers.

Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita – metro.co.uk

9) Seydou Keita – $10 million

Currently playing at Roma in Italy, Keita previously played for Barcelona for four seasons. He also represented Chinese club Dalian Aerbin, where he received an incredibly generous pay package which amounted to $16 million pre-tax. The 35-year-old has played for Mali 97 times, scoring 24 goals.

Frederic Kanoute
Frederic Kanoute – esquireme.com

8) Frederic Kanoute – $12 million

The former Sevilla striker played in France, England and Spain, before the twilight of his career allowed him to make a move to China, where he enjoyed a solid pay package for a year at Beijing Guoan, before deciding to retire from football. The devout Muslim, who was known for fasting during Ramadan despite playing at a high level famously paid $700,000 to buy a Seville mosque during his time in Spain.

peoplesdailyng.com
peoplesdailyng.com

7) John Obi Mikel – $15 million 

Nigerian midfielder Mikel has been a big name player for many years, representing Chelsea at club level in the English Premier League. At a time when few Nigerian players stood out in the top European leagues, Mikel was a consistent performer for one of the better sides in the English top flight, making him a popular and marketable individual. Joining Chelsea in 2006, he has spent the last nine years at the Blues, and reportedly earns around $5million per year.

Kolo Toure
Kolo Toure – skysports.com

6) Kolo Toure – $18 million

The older of the two Toure brothers has been a top performer in the English Premier League for many years, representing the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool during his illustrious career as a respected defender. Having represented the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire on 118 occasions, scoring seven goals, the natural born leader has been overshadowed by his younger brother in recent years, but a number of lucrative endorsement deals, including one in particular with adidas, has boosted Toure’s net worth substantially.

goal.com
goal.com

 

5) Michael Essien – $25 million

The Ghanaian who currently plays at AC Milan has been a popular figure wherever he has played, with former clubs including heavyweights Real Madrid and Chelsea. His wage has often been renegotiated up due to his importance to each club he has represented, and the need for his workmanlike approach in midfield. He is an extremely popular figure in Ghana and Africa in general, making him a player that brands and groups in general are very keen to be associated with. Past and present endorsement deals with companies such as MTN, Samsung and Pepsi have made Essien a very wealthy man.

www.en.wikipedia.org
www.en.wikipedia.org

 

4) Emmanuel Adebayor – $27 million

The Togolese striker is no stranger to big money deals at some of the top clubs in the world, as he has represented Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Real Madrid during his career as a top attacker. The 31-year-old is known for his big heart, being involved in a great deal of charitable activities throughout the world, with endorsement deals keeping him in the money and allowing him to do as much as he does. One of his more lucrative contracts involved him endorsing energy drink Power Horse.

skysports.com
skysports.com

3) Yaya Toure – $65 million

For the top three players the net worth amount suddenly sky-rockets, and a look at the third richest player explains why. Yaya Toure receives approximately $21,9 million per year in endorsements and salary from Manchester City. His endorsements include money-spinning deals with Puma and Nissan, amongst other companies. He has a deal with the Citizens which will keep him at the club until 2017. The current African Player of the Year negotiated his Puma deal to include an element dedicated to charity, with Puma clothing and shoes donated to underprivileged in West Africa.

dailymail.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk

 

2) Didier Drogba – $70 million

The veteran Ivorian striker has been a top performing footballer for a long time, playing a great deal of his career at top English Premier League side Chelsea, where he currently plies his trade. The Ivorian received around $325,000 per week during his time at Chinese club Shanghai Shenua, where he spent half a year after his first spell at Chelsea. Endorsement deals both past and present include brands such as Nike, Pepsi, Samsung and Orange.

www.cameroon-info.net
www.cameroon-info.net

1) Samuel Eto’o – $90 million

The Cameroon legend is one of Africa’s best players of all time, and his net worth is a direct result of being at the top of the game for so many years, representing the clubs of the calibre of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Everton and Sampdoria during a decorated career. African Player of the Year from 2003-2005, the striker’s time in Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala after a big money move made him the highest paid player for a period, earning a cool $25million per year in his lucrative contract. Major endorsements include being a representative for brands such as Ford and Puma.