The current generation of Nigerian players can be said to be fortunate, given the football era they play in, which has had a lot of money invested in it. Aside from salaries, players earn from image rights, sponsorship deals, and adverts among others.
Nigerian players rank high as one of the highest-paid in the world as they command a sizeable amount in yearly wages from their respective club sides.
Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, and former African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen are among the current top-earning Nigerian players.
This post examines the top five highest-paid Nigerian players. It highlights their weekly wages, annual salaries, and the expiration of their current contracts.
1. Victor Osimhen
The Galatasaray striker is the highest-paid Nigerian player at the moment. The 26-year-old earns 160,157 pounds weekly and £8,328,154 million annually. Osimhen currently earns about N15,000,000,000 billion yearly according to a top source. He took a pay cut to join the Turkish champions on loan from Napoli last summer. His loan contract is set to expire on June 30, 2025. Osimhen is on the radar of top Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea ahead of the Summer transfer window.
2. Samuel Chukwueze
The winger moved from Villareal to AC Milan in the Summer of 2023 which consequently reflected in his wages. Chukwueze is the seventh highest-earning player at AC Milan with a weekly salary of £82,160 and £4, 272, 343 million annually. He is currently on a N8,000,000,000 billion salary per year at the Rossoaneri. Chukwueze’s current contract expires on June 30, 2028.
3. Alex Iwobi
The midfielder is one of the top earners at Fulham in the English Premier League. He is the fifth-highest earner at the club with a weekly pay of £80,000 and £4,160,000 million per year. Iwobi moved from Arsenal to Everton then Fulham in September 2023 for about £25,000 million. Alex Iwobi earns well over N7,000,000 a year. His current contract at the Craven Cottage expires in 2028. The 28-year-old given his performance his season might sign an extension at the end of the season.
4. Wilfred Ndidi
Ndidi earns £75,000 every week and £3,900,000 million yearly at Leicester City. He is one of the top earners at the club including Jamie Vardy, Odsonne Edouard, Harry Winks, and Boubakary Soumare. Wilfred Ndidi is one of the longest-serving members of the club after he joined in 2017. Ndidi earns over N7,000,000 a year just like Alex Iwobi. His current contract will expire in June 2027. The midfielder might move on from the club should the Foxes be relegated to the English Championship at the end of the season.
5. Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho also earns the same wages as his former teammate at Leicester City – Wilfred Ndidi. The forward returned to England to join Middlesbrough in the English Championship on loan from Sevilla during the January transfer window. Ihenacho earns £75,000 every week and he is the current top earner at the club. The loan contract expires at the end of the season with the possibility of moving elsewhere at the end of the season.
The current top-earning Nigerian players include Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho. Ademola Lookman is not on the top five list at the moment but his potential summer move to a top club from Atalanta could see him compete with Osimhen for the top spot.
