The following 10 masters of the football universe play for international
soccer clubs, and they’re all from Africa. They make more money than
imaginable, but no one could have dreamed up their talents. Here are the 10
highest-paid African football players of 2014, including
a calculation of their respective net worth, according to Football Money.
10.
Christopher Samba ($8 million)
The great Congolese defender made $160,000 a week with the contract he
signed for Anzhi Makhachkala, and he earned the same amount between shifts
with Anzhi playing for Queens Park Rangers. He now plays for Dynamo Moscow.
The Malian sensation returned to
Valencia at the beginning of 2014, after a year with the Chinese Super League,
where he made $16 million before tax with their Dalian Aerbin
football club. In June, he signed a one-year contract with Serie A club
A.S. Roma
He’s from Mali, and has played with
Lyon in France, West Ham in England, and Sevilla in Spain. A devout Muslim,
he purportedly spent $700,000 buying a mosque which was about to be sold in
Spain. He is currently playing for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League.
7. John Obi Mikel ($15 million)
His career started with the Norwegian
club Lyn Oslo, but this Nigerian midfielder became famous for his playing with
Chelsea, despite the infamously extended contract embroilment between the two
clubs and Manchester United which took place in 2005. Mikel ended up with
Chelsea, and will play with them on a contract until 2017.
The Ivorian juggernaut central defender
has played for some of England’s biggest clubs: Arsenal, Manchester City, and
now Liverpool, where’s he’s on contract until 2015. Kolo has a
money-raking sponsorship deal with Adidas. He’s the wealthy sibling of the
even wealthier footballer, Yaya Touré, and the late player Ibrahim Touré, who
died in June at age 28 following a battle with cancer.
5. Michael Essien ($25 million)
He used to be Africa’s wealthiest
soccer player with his 2005 transfer from Lyon to Chelsea, a signing that
gained the Ghanaian midfielder around $40.5 million. After eight years with the
British club, Essien signed onto AC Milan in January of 2014 for a one-and-a-half
year contract.
4. Emmanuel Adebayor ($27 million)
He’s Togo’s top scorer of all time, and the
striker earned a reported $268,000 a week with Manchester United. He has signed
a loan deal to play with Real Madrid, and now kicks for Tottenham Hotspur. He’s
known for quarreling with managers and also donating lots of money to
charities.
Another Ivorian sensation (it runs in
the family), this midfielder for Manchester City has embossed his name in
football history. Formerly a Barcelona star, he signed a five-year deal with
Manchester City to the tune of around $40 million. His combined earnings for
his all-star international performances amount to roughly $15 million
annually.
Another prominent member of Côte
d’Ivoire’s “Golden Generation,” this striker did not earn a big move until he
was transferred at the age of 26 to Chelsea, where he was paid $170,000 a week.
He is the club’s fourth-highest goal scorer ever, and was No. 1 scorer for
foreign players on the team. He now plays for Turkey’s Galatasaray for about
$5.2 million annually, combining those earnings with some lucrative sponsorship
deals.
The wealthiest player on the continent,
and the recipient of four African Player of the Year trophies, this Cameroonian
striker is sheer wonderment. When he played with Anzhi Makhachkala from 2011 to
2013, he was the richest African kicker as well, earning about $25 million
a year. He’s played for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and as of
August 2014 signed with Premier League side Everton. He started his own
charity, Fundacion Privada Samuel Eto’o, in Cameroon, providing citizens
with basic health care.
Sources: Football Money, cnn.com,
allafrica.com.
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