Over the years, more and more players from the African continent have played for some of the world’s biggest clubs and, as a result, they’ve become some of the highest-paid footballers on the planet.
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a huge influx of football talent coming from Africa. The popular Premier League has seen plenty of foreign talent come to England, but the game has gone global to a level that it has never previously reached.
In recent years, especially, the level of wages being paid to players has only gotten higher and higher, and it’s currently at a level that seemed unimaginable. We have decided to Torchlight the high flyers and their respective clubs.
1. Riyad Mahrez -£860,944-a-week
Club: Al-Ahli
The highest-paid African footballer in the world. It’s hard to imagine anyone predicting that would be the case when Riyad Mahrez first signed for Leicester City back in 2014. The forward has become one of the best players in the world since then, though, winning the Premier League with the Foxes and becoming a megastar in the process.
2. Sadio Mane – £660,194-a-week
Club: Al-Nassr
He’s a huge star and a recognisable face, something which the Saudi Pro League was desperate to add over the summer.
After a solitary season at Bayern Munich, where Sadio Mane failed to replicate the form he’d shown at Liverpool, he was offered a ridiculous salary to join Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. £660,194 every single week is a wild number. The forward has earned a reputation for being one of the most electric players in the world, though, following his exploits at Anfield. He was one of many players who came to Saudi Arabia and was offered massive money to do so. Only one African player is currently on more money than he is a week and that’s another former Premier League man who joined the Saudi Pro last summer.
He then went on to join Manchester City and was a focal point to Pep Guardiola’s dominance there for several years. Now, at 32 years old, he’s earning more money than he ever has in his life. Close to £1m a week at his age is pretty wild. He’s scored nine times and recorded seven assists in his first 20 games for Al-Ahli, so it’s not quite blistering form, but still quite impressive.
3 Kalidou Koulibaly – £570,984-a-week
Club: Al-Hilal
After making a name for himself at Napoli as one of the best centre-backs in Europe, Kalidou Koulibaly joined Chelsea in 2022. He may have waited too long, though, as by the time he he was on the wrong side of 30 and struggled to keep up with the pace of the English top flight.
He left Stamford Bridge after just one season with the Blues, joining Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. He did so, pocketing a monumental £570,984 a week which is an astonishing figure for the 32-year-old. It’s hard to say whether he’s earned such a massive figure, but he’s definitely helped his club establish a healthy lead at the top of the league and seems almost certain to win the trophy at the end of the season, so there’s that.
4 Mohamed Salah – £350,000-a-week
Club: Liverpool
It’s Mohamed Salah, is anyone really that surprised? The Egyptian has been a sensation at Liverpool and it can’t be overstated just how important he’s been to Jurgen Klopp’s side over the years.
The club has benefitted tremendously from his presence over the last few years, and it’s hard to imagine they’d have been half as successful if they hadn’t brought him into the fold back in 2017. With so many clubs interested in prying him away from Anfield, the Reds decided to offer Salah bumper new deal on £350,000 a week in the summer of 2022, but considering just how good he’s been this year, it was the right call.
5 Seko Fofana – £250,114-a-week
Club: Al-Nassr
Seko Fofana was an impressive talent who had caught the attention of several clubs around Europe during his time at Lens, but he made the surprising decision to move to the Saudi Pro League and join forces with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr instead. As a result, he was handed a salary of over a quarter of a million pounds a week, so it’s easy to see why he made the call.
The midfielder hasn’t had quite as much success in Saudi Arabia as he did in France, though, and after half a season with Al-Nassr, he’s been loaned to fellow Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. Hopefully, he can rediscover his form at the club, otherwise, it won’t be long before that lofty salary is looked at as a huge mistake.
6 Achraf Hakimi – £239,418-a-week
Club: PSG
One of the most talented full-backs in the world, you could argue that Achraf Hakimi should probably actually be on more money considering just how many teams have been interested in him over the years. The clubs he’s played for read like a real who’s-who of top European sides. Starting with Real Madrid, it was a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund that saw him emerge as an elite talent.
He then spent one season at Inter Milan and flourished in Italy, before Paris Saint-Germain spent big to bring him to France in 2021. In the years since, the Moroccan has regularly been one of the Ligue 1 club’s standout stars and considering he’s still just 25 years old, he might be due a pay-rise in the future too.
7 Franck Kessie – £230,368-a-week
Club: Al-Ahli
After a short break, we’re back with another star who’s earning major money in the Saudi Pro League. It’s another player on Al-Ahli’s books too, as Franck Kessie is earning just over £230,000 a week at the Saudi Arabian club. The Ivory Coast international made a name for himself at AC Milan but joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022.
His time in Spain was rough, and after just a year, he moved to Al-Ahli and has been on a very nice salary ever since. He’s more than doing enough to earn it as well. In 21 appearances for his new club this season, he’s already scored six times. Not bad for a centre midfielder.
8 Victor Osimhen – £211,000-a-week
Club: Napoli
While a lot of the players on this list are likely earning the most they ever will, Victor Osimhen is a star who’s almost guaranteed to earn a pay-rise in the near future. The striker has been nothing short of sublime for Napoli in Serie A over the last few years, and with so many clubs keen to take him off of the Italian club’s hands, it feels safe to assume he’ll be on the receiving end of another bumper contract soon.
With clubs like Chelsea interested, there’s no telling just how much Osimhen will earn in the future, but it will likely see him climb this list quite significantly. He’s earned it too. There are few goalscorers of his calibre on the planet, and considering he only recently signed the new deal, he’s going to cost a hell of a lot to pry away.
9 Thomas Partey – £200,000-a-week
Club: Arsenal
After impressing at Atletico Madrid, Arsenal signed Thomas Partey in 2020 and right off the bat, offered him pretty large wages. The Gunners activated his release clause at Atletico and paid £45m to bring him to England while paying him £200,000 a week once he made the move.
He’s been a dependable figure in the middle of the park for Mikel Arteta’s side ever since, but considering he’s now 30 years old, has played just four league games this season and his contract expires next summer, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be making this sort of money for much longer.
10 Inaki Williams – £187,585-a-week
Club: Athletic Bilbao
Spending pretty much his entire senior career at Athletic Bilbao, it’s quite fitting that Inaki Williams has been rewarded by the club with such a large weekly wage. The forward is a legend at the Spanish club and has been performing at a high level for them for close to a decade now.
Despite constant rumours about a move away, he’s never forced himself out of Bilbao and has remained focused on the team throughout his entire run. There are few club icons quite like him in the world, and he’s deserving of every penny he gets from Bilbao. With his current contract running until the summer of 2028, it’s unlikely he’ll be leaving anytime soon either.
