Who are the richest Nigerian footballers? Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria and is among the highest paying jobs all over the world. In this country, we have some of the richest professional footballers on the African continent. Nigeria has produced very talented football players with mesmerizing skills in the past and present, including Segun Odegbami, Stephen Keshi (deceased), Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, John Obi Mikel, Alex Iwobi, Victor Moses (retired from international duties), just to mention a few. In the current write-up, we take a look at the top 10 richest Nigerian footballers and their net worth this year.
Richest Nigerian Footballers and Their Net Worth
#1. Mikel Obi (Net Worth: $57 Million)
Born April 22, 1987, John Michael Nchekwube Obinna is a Nigerian professional footballer who hails from Jos and captains the Nigeria national team, operating as a defensive midfielder. He’s the richest footballer in Nigeria, having a net worth of around $57 Million. He came to limelight after putting up a series of sparkling performances for Nigeria at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships held in the Netherlands, where he won the Silver Ball award on being voted the second-best player in the tournament, after Messi.
His career involved stints in a number of clubs, including Lyn, Chelsea, Chinese club Tianjin TEDA, and Middlesbrough that he recently bade farewell to. He is currently on an international assignment for the Nigeria national team in the ongoing Total AFCON tournament in Egypt. The 2-time EPL winner owns many real estates around London, Lagos, and Jos, and his collection of cars includes a Bentley Continental GT, Range Rover Sport, a Mercedes G wagon (valued at £650,000), and others.
#2. Obafemi Martins (Net Worth: $35 Million)
A fast, diminutive, and agile left-footed Nigerian striker, Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins was born on October 28, 1984. On leaving the country for Italy at age 16, he’s since played for different top-division football clubs around Europe. His senior career started in 2002 at Inter Milan, before signing for Newcastle in England in 2006, and then moving to Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg in 2009. The 34-year-old forward, nicknamed Obagoal, after stints with Birmingham City (on loan) and Levante, signed for MLS side Seattle Sounder, an American club, before penning a deal with Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua in February 2016, where he earns €8.4 million annually. When he was at Seattle Sounder, Martin’s net worth stood at US$35million, a whopping sum qualifying him to be among the crème de la crème as far as the richest footballers in Nigeria are concerned. The forward has hotels in Italy and properties in other places around the world.
#3. Odion Ighalo (Net Worth: $30 million)
Odion Jude Ighalo was born on the 16th of June 1989, in Lagos and raised in Edo. He’s a Nigerian professional football player that plies his trade with Chinese club Shanghai Greenland Shenhua as a striker. Like Mikel Obi, he is also currently featuring for the Nigerian national team in 2019 AFCON, where he scored the opener during the Super Eagles’ campaign in Egypt. Ighalo played in the English Premier League some years back, and as at that period, his earnings were still huge enough to compete for the top 10 richest football players in the country. However, since his transfer to the Chinese top-flight club, Changchun Yatai, in 2017, the 6.2 feet-tall striker’s value has more than doubled in a deal worth £20 million from Watford. In 2019, the forward completed a move to another Chinese Super League club, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, where he currently earns an eye-watering £200,000 ($262,000) a week. This means that he earns more than ₦362 million per month, making him the highest paid Nigerian player. He owns a fleet of some of the latest luxurious cars as well as many mansions, all of which put his estimated net worth at $30 million (₦ 10.9 billion). Evidently one of the richest Nigerian footballers.
#4. Vincent Enyeama (Net Worth: $28million)
Coming right up in this ranking is Vincent Enyeama, who was born on August 29, 1982. He’s a Nigerian professional footballer that plays in the goalkeeping position. The Akwa Ibom-born and bred shot-stopper was also a member of the Super Eagles from 2002 until 2015 and served as the team’s captain from 2013 until his retirement 2 years later from international football. He’s the most capped footballer of all time in Nigeria with 101 caps. Vincent Enyeama, with a net worth of $28m, is one of the richest Nigerian footballers.
#5. Victor Moses (Net Worth: $20.1 Million)
Born on December 12, 1990, in Lagos, Victor Moses is a Nigerian professional football player that operates as a winger on either flank. He is currently on loan from Champions League winner Chelsea to Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe where he earns a whopping $100,000 weekly salary. The skillful forward started his career with Crystal Palace in the Championship, before making his Premier League debut with Wigan Athletic in 2010, and later signing for Chelsea on August 23, 2012. He’s an endorsements deal that is valued around $1 million as well as $15.9 million in personal investments.
#6. Ahmed Musa (Net Worth: $18 Million)
Ahmed Musa, born on October 14, 1992, started his football career in the GBS Football Academy. The Nigerian professional footballer operates as a forward and left winger and plays for Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr and the Super Eagles. Currently on an international assignment with the Nigerian national team in Egypt, he is the first Nigerian professional footballer to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, after scoring a brace against the Messi-led Argentine side in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His estimated net worth is around US$18 million.
#7. Emmanuel Emenike (Net Worth: $18 million)
Aged 32, Emmanuel Chinenye Emenike rose to popularity among Nigerians when he proved instrumental in the Super Eagles winning the 2013 AFCON trophy, hosted by South Africa. He last played for Greek club Olympiacos as a striker and is currently a free agent, looking for a club. He has played for different football clubs, including Karabükspor, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbahçe, among others. He has many luxurious properties, which include a customized Porsche, and his net worth is in excess of $18 million, putting into consideration all his assets.
#8. Victor Anichebe (Net Worth: $16 million)
Victor Chinedu Anichebe was born on the 23rd of April 1988, in Lagos but moved to Liverpool, England, when he clocked one. Currently a free agent, he’s a Nigerian professional footballer, who previously played for Everton, Beijing Enterprises, among other clubs in Asia and Europe, where he earned huge weekly paychecks. The estimated net worth of the striker, who had an affair with DJ Cuppy (daughter of Nigerian billionaire mogul Femi Otedola), is around $16 million.
#9. Kelechi Iheanacho (Net Worth: $4 million)
Kelechi Promise Iheanacho was born on October 3, 1996, in Imo State. An export of Owerri-based Taye Academy, he’s a Nigerian professional footballer that plies his trade with Premier League outfit Leicester City as a forward and for the Nigeria national team. The attacking midfielder, who wasn’t invited for the ongoing AFCON 2019 in Egypt, has made appearances for EPL champions Manchester City and for Nigeria squad that emerged winner of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup as well as the Nigeria U-20 team at the 2015 New Zealand-held FIFA U-20 World Cup. He earns a weekly salary of £100,000 in Leicester, and from the whopping income he made at Man City combined with his current earnings, his net worth can be roughly estimated at $4 million, making him one of the richest players in the country.
#10. Alex Iwobi (Net Worth: $4 million)
Alexander Chuka Iwobi, 23, is one of the impressive talents in the current Nigerian national team and is Jay Jay Okocha’s nephew. The forward, who was born in Lagos but moved to England when he was 4, recently penned a new deal with Arsenal FC, a club he’s been with his whole life. He now earns around £70,000 per week, which makes him one of the highest earning Nigerian players. He is also currently in Egypt for the ongoing AFCON.
This is our ranking of the richest Nigerian footballers. What’s your take on this compilation?
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