Sadio Mane is now the highest-paid African footballer, followed closely by his former teammate Mo Salah. The Senegalese forward topped the list after his recent move from Liverpool to Bayern Munich.
With just one year left on his contract, the Senegal star decided to end his six-year tenure at Liverpool. According to The Mirror, he will earn a staggering £250,000 per week under his new three-year contract with Bayern, which is more than double what he was earning at Liverpool.
Mane was the joint 12th highest paid player at Liverpool, earning £100,000 per week despite being one of the best players at the club and in Europe. What’s interesting is that there were quite a number of average players earning bigger salaries than him at Liverpool.
To be paid a huge salary like what Mane is getting at Bayern Munich, one must be a world-class player. The German club offered Liverpool €41 million for Mane to secure Mane’s signature, and many fans are looking forward to seeing the Senegalese star at the Allianz Arena.
Seven of the top eight African stars in terms of earnings right now are Premier League players. Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City and Thomas Partey of Arsenal are tied for third place on the list, each earning £200,000 per week. The latter moved from Atletico Madrid to the North Londoners two years ago.
Partey’s teammate Nicolas Pepe, who has had a less than stellar career since making his club-record move from Lille, is also included on the list. The Ivorian, whose weekly salary is £140,000, cost the Gunners £72 million. Just 27 goals have been scored in his three years at the Emirates.
Wilfried Zaha, a fellow countryman who has spent the last eight years with Crystal Palace, earns just slightly less than Pepe. The winger has attempted to transfer elsewhere on multiple occasions, but each time the Eagles have resisted because they are adamant about keeping hold of their star player.
The only two players on the list who play outside of England are Andre Ayew of Al Sadd and Achraf Hakimi of PSG. Ayew movef to Qatar and joined Al Sadd in 2021, a team that had previously been coached by Xavi.
Highest paid African footballers
- Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) £250,000-a-week
- Mo Salah (Liverpool) £220,000-a-week
- Thomas Partey (Arsenal) £200,000-a-week
- Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) £200,000-a-week
- Andre Ayew (Al Sadd) £180,000-a-week
- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germaine) £176,000-a-week
- Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal) £140,000-a-week
- Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) £130,000-a-week