Richest Footballer in Nigeria
Maybe not on a global level but then Nigerians are frontliners among African footballers. The country has produced several talents playing around the world today and their successes when they are playing for their club sides are clear. Now, does this translate to fat bank accounts? You will be surprised how much it does.
TodaysPredict presents this article exploring who the richest footballer in Nigeria is. At face value, you might be thinking of some names and you could not be so far off. Nonetheless, let’s get into who the richest football in Nigeria is.
Who is the Richest Footballer in Nigeria?
Currently, the richest footballer in Nigeria is Ademola Lookman. The Atalanta winger is earning an annual income of €15 million in his four-year deal at the club. His recent success as the CAF Player of the Year for 2024 is proof that he is worth this recognition.
Lookman has been a consistent figure for Atalanta. He has double figures for goals and assists in the Serie A for Atalanta and even though he has not exactly replicated the same attacking threat for country, he is a shining light for Nigerian footballers.
For context, let’s look at other players who may be contesting for the crown of being referred to as the richest footballers in Nigeria.
Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen with an annual income of £10 million. He is currently on loan with Galatasaray and is proving to be worth the price tag that is on him. Osimhen has attracted interest from Premier League teams like Chelsea and Arsenal and it is certain that he may make the move to those teams.
One of the hindrances to his move to a bigger team after he was ousted from Napoli and sent on loan. But it is expected that he would find a team pretty soon and this may worsen his chances of staying in the top 1% of rich players in Nigeria.
Samuel Chukwueze
Samuel Chukwueze is currently playing for AC Milan. While he may not be a consistent starter for the team, Chukwueze is on a £4.3 million annual pay with some reports saying that he earns up to €5.13 million per year.
This makes Samuel Chukwueze the second richest footballer in Nigeria. Interestingly, he signed for AC Milan in 2023 and it was a five-year deal which means he will be at the club earning that much until 2028.
His impact has not been felt in the club or the nation so it is looking like he will be on this paygrade for the next three years anyways.
Wilfred Ndidi
This might come as a surprise especially considering the team he plays for. Ndidi is a DM for relegation-threatened Leicester City. He is on a yearly £3.9 million salary on a three-year contract he just signed at the start of the 2024/25 season. Which means, he will be earning this current wage until 2027.
With Leicester possibly going on relegation, there are chances he may see through the contract or just plot a move away from the team.
Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi is the third down the list of the richest football players in Nigeria. One thing about Alex Iwobi that is pretty impressive is how he has played in top flight Premier League clubs over the years. Now, he is at Fulham and he is currently earning $4,160,000 per year which is around £3.1 million annually.
Iwobi is a key player in the Fulham squad and while there is no potential of a pay raise, his contract is on till 2027 and with his contributions to the club I am sure he won’t stay too long before he gets signed to another team.
Victor Boniface
Boniface would have been the richest footballer in Nigeria if his move to Al Nassr worked. The purported salary for that move was about £15 million. However, that move didn’t go through and instead he signed a contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen where he currently earns £3 million.
This puts him slightly below Alex Iwobi but there are speculations that he earns a bit more than that. If those speculations are right, then Boniface may be third on this list after all.
Ola Aina
Ola Aina follows Iwobi closely in this ranking. The Southwark-born right back for Nottingham Forest is earning £2.4 million per annum and he has proven to be a really key player for Forest who are having the best of form this season.
Ola is also almost indispensable for the Nigerian national team. He’s so important that Eric Chelle made him play as left back in what looked like he was forcing the proven RB into his starting XI.
Calvin Bassey
Fellow compatriot of Alex Iwobi at Fulham, Calvin Bassey comes next in the ranking for the richest footballer from Nigeria. The versatile defender who can both play as a left back and a center back is currently earning $2,340,000 which is around £2 million yearly.
Calvin’s contract at Fulham is going to end in 2027 so there are no talks about contract renewals or a move away from Fulham. For his age, he may get an extension on his contract unlike his compatriots.
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