We wrote on the top 10 richest footballers in Africa in one of our previous posts and we listed the likes of Mikel, Yaya Toure, Eto etc. This time, we shall focus on who the current highest paid Nigerian footballer in the premier league this 2023 is, his salary and some facts about him.
Mikel Obi
The highest paid footballer in Nigeria is Manchester City young star, Kelechi Iheanacho. He turned highest earning Super Eagles star in the English Premier League, and all of Europe when he penned another two-year contract expansion that will see stay at the Etihad until 2023. Kelechi Iheanacho’s salary a week is £85,000.
With his new wages, Iheanacho toppled Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi who for a while has been on the top flight in football with a salary of 70,000 pounds a week. Mikel currently plays for Chelsea Football Club also in the English Premier League.
While describing his new improved deal as a “dream come true”, the youngster said he could now “change lives”
The deal came to fruition despite Iheanacho’s new handlers being locked in an ownership tussle with the player’s previous representatives, who are based in the United States of America.
Following a string of outstanding displays in his 2015/16 breakout year, his agents had initially proposed a 50,000 pounds-per-week deal, a massive shift from his former 18,000 pounds-a-week pay when he first joined the club, according to Vanguard
Mikel’s compatriot at Stamford Bridge, Victor Moses salary at Chelsea FC is 50,000 pounds-a-week since joining Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in 2012, and hopes to be offered a new deal after an impressing start to the current campaign under new Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte.
Watford striker Odion Ighalo, who turned down a whopping €100,000-a-week deal to the Chinese Super league last term, is believed to have improved on his 25,000 pounds-a-week pay following a contract extension at Vicarage Road
The former Golden Eaglet salary was 18,000 pounds-a-week when he first signed for Manchester City Football Club.
UPDATE: 2023
Before Ighalo had the honour of being the most expensive Nigerian player, it was previously held by ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel for eleven years after the Blues splashed out €20m to secure his services from Lyn Oslo, with Manchester United also compensated.
The third and fourth most expensive transfers involving Nigerian players were completed in the last thirteen months.
Former Premier League champs Leicester City signed Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi plus Iheanacho for €19.5 million and €17.6 million respectively. The costliest Nigerian defender in history is Taribo West, thanks to his €12 million switch from Auxerre to Inter Milan in March 1997.
Thirteenth position currently belongs to Chelsea right wing-back Victor Moses, who moved to the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2012 from Wigan Athletic for €11.5 million. He now plays for Fernabache after his loan move from Chelsea due to lack of playing time.
Current Nigerian Transfer Record (Top 20)
1) Odion Ighalo – Watford to Changchun Yatai- €23.3m
2) Obi Mikel – Lyn Oslo to Chelsea – €20m
3) Ahmed Musa – CSKA to Leicester – €19.5m
4) Wilfred Ndidi – Genk to Leicester – €17.6m
5) Yakubu Aiyegbeni – Boro to Everton – €16.5m
6) Obafemi Martins – Inter to Newcastle – €16m
7) Isaac Success – Granada to Watford – €15m
8) Emmanuel Emenike – Spartak to Fenerbahce – €13m
9) Brown Ideye – Dynamo Kiev to WBA – €12.63m
10) Austin Okocha – Fenerbahce to PSG – €12.4
11) Taribo West – Auxerre to Inter – €12m
11) Brown Ideye – Olympiakos to Tianjin Teda – €12m
13) Victor Moses – Wigan to Chelsea – €11.5m
14) Anthony Ujah – Werder to Liaoning FC – €11.5m
15) Obafemi Martins – Newcastle to Wolfsburg – €10.5m
16) Sunday Oliseh – Ajax to Juventus – €10m
17) John Utaka – Rennes to Portsmouth – €10m
18) Peter Odemwingie- Lille to Lok Moscow – €10m
19) Finidi George – Ajax to Real Betis – €10m
20) Emmanuel Emenike – Fenerbahce to Spartak – €10m
Top 10 Highest Paid Nigerian Footballers And Their Salaries 2023
#1. Odion Ighalo – £190,000
Odion Ighalo is now ranked as the current highest paid footballer in Nigeria. He earns £190,000 per week. He plays as a striker for the national team and also for Changchun Yatai.
#2. Obi Mikel – £140,000
Midfielder, Mikel Obi is second earner on the list of highest paid Nigerian footballers in the Chinese league with a weekly salary of £100,000 at his current club, Middlesbrough.
Mikel is no longer at Tianjin TEDA as he quit the club. He is returned back to the EPL second division and played for Middlesbrough.
#3. Kelechi Iheanacho – £100,000
Iheanacho was formerly leading as the top earner in Europe until Ighalo took over. Although he is listed among the Nigerian professional footballers who play in the English premier league. He earns £100,000 weekly at Leicester City after a transfer from Manchester City.
#4. Obafemi Martins – £100,000
He is another top player that has played for many clubs in Europe and even in China. He played as a striker for the national team and plays for Chinese football club, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. Martins earns £100,000 weekly.
#5. Ahmed Musa – £60,000
Musa became fans favourite when he scored two goals against Iceland in the world cup 2018. This made him the undisputed Nigerian football star of the worldcup.
Ahmed Musa is paid £60,000 weekly as his salary in CSKA Moscow where he plays as a left winger for the Russian club.
#6. Victor Moses – £50,000
Used as a wing back in Chelsea, Victor Moses can operate as a winger and is also among Nigeria football stars to earn big salary in England. He earns £50,000 weekly and is at Fenabache on loan.
#7 Wilfred Ndidi – £90,000
Ndidi plays as a holding midfielder for Leicester City in the EPL. He is an outstanding Nigerian football star that earns a salary of £90,000 at his club.
Ighalo is talented, the reason why I am not surprised to see him at #1.