22 Highest-Paid African Footballers in the World [2026]

Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a huge influx of footballing talent coming from Africa. The Premier League has seen plenty of foreign talent come to England, but the game has gone global to a level that it has never previously reached. Over the years, more and more players from the continent have played for some of the world’s biggest clubs and, as a result, they’ve become some of the highest-paid footballers on the planet.

In recent years, especially, the level of wages being paid to players has only gotten higher and higher, and it’s currently at a level that seemed unimaginable not too long ago. With that being said, we’ve decided to take a look at the 22 highest-paid African footballers on the planet – with names ranging from those in Saudi Arabia to Premier League talents such as Mohamed Salah.

15

Bryan Mbeumo – £150,000-a-week

Manchester United and Cameroon

A goal-getting revelation for Brentford, it was only a matter of time until Bryan Mbeumo signed for one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs – and he was once mooted as the heir to Mohamed Salah’s throne on the red half of Merseyside. It was Manchester United, however, who secured his signature in the summer of 2025 and his instant impact has not gone unnoticed.

The 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) saw the Red Devils without the 26-year-old’s forward-thinking quality, and it came as a detriment to the club. Since his move in the summer, the Cameroonian has plundered seven strikes in 17 outings and that is just the tip of iceberg; he’s being paid £150,000 on a weekly basis for his potency.

14

Antoine Semenyo – £150,000-a-week

Manchester City and Ghana

Thanks to his goal-getting brilliance in the final third, Antoine Semenyo was hot property pre-Manchester City move. It was Bournemouth who possessed the 26-year-old Ghanaian’s between 2023 and 2026, platforming him into one of the best around – and Pep Guardiola is now the beneficiary of his fleet-footedness on the flank. And that’ll be the case until 2031, when his contract ends.

Between now and then, Semenyo will be pocketing a handsome £150,000-per-week as he looks to take his form from the south coast to east Manchester. His career under the Catalan has started brilliantly with two goals in as many matches and the Etihad Stadium will be hoping, on all accounts, that his hot form in the final third will continue.

13

Mohammed Kudus – £150,000-a-week

Tottenham Hotspur and Ghana

After Thomas Frank took charge of Tottenham Hotspur and replaced Ange Postecoglou, one of the first things he did was sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United. The forward had been incredible for the Hammers, and it wasn’t surprising to see a big six club take an interest in his services.

Frank has a tough task on his hand guiding the club back towards the top end of the table after a 17th-place finish last time out, but he believes that a winger of Kudus’ ilk is someone who can help them get there and, according to Salary Leaks, he’s paying him £150,000-a-week to help him achieve the club’s lofty goals after they won the Europa League in 2024/25.

12

Serhou Guirassy – £157,201-a-week

Borussia Dortmund and Guinea

Another African asset earning quite the wealth over at Borussia Dortmund is Serhou Guirassy. After a remarkable season with VfB Stuttgart in 2023/24, as he bagged 28 goals in the same number of Bundesliga games, firing mooted relegation candidates to European qualification, the Guinean is well worth his £157,201 weekly payout.

In just his first season with his new club, Dortmund, he scored 38 goals in 50 appearances. He’s earning just north of £150,000-a-week at Dortmund, and it’s still a bargain considering how incredible he’s been in front of goal. At 29 years of age, the goal-hungry talisman has been linked with a big-money move to one of Europe’s elite in summers gone by, but he could remain and make himself a Die Schwarzgelben legend.

11

Yassine Bounou – £170,037-a-week

Al-Hilal and Morocco

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The first goalkeeper on this list, but not the last, Yassine Bounou had just won a Europa League trophy with Sevilla when he decided to leave the Spanish club and move to the Saudi Pro League. When looking at the wages that Al-Hilal were willing to pay him, who can blame him? The shot-stopper is a fantastic player and actually won the Player of the Match award in the Europa League final as Sevilla beat AS Roma and was a massive grab for Al-Hilal.

He’s been a key figure for the Saudi Pro League side, too. They’re currently sitting first in the league and seem to be the outright favourites to get their hands on the trophy by the time all is said and done. He’s been fantastic for them and has definitely earned his £170,037-per-week wages so far, even if the Moroccan’s move to the Middle East did seem a bit too premature given how well he performed on the international stage.

10

Inaki Williams – £180,707-a-week

Athletic Bilbao and Ghana

Spending pretty much his entire senior career at Athletic Club, it’s quite fitting that Inaki Williams has been rewarded by the club with such a large weekly wage of £180,707. The glittering forward, the older brother of Nico, is a legend at the Spanish club and has been performing at a high level for them for close to a decade now.

Despite constant rumours about a move away, he’s never forced himself out of Bilbao and has remained focused on the team throughout his entire run. There are few club icons quite like him in the world, and he’s deserving of every penny he gets from Bilbao. With his current contract running until the summer of 2028, it’s unlikely he’ll be leaving anytime soon either.

9

Edouard Mendy – £200,044-a-week

Al-Ahli and Senegal

Another goalkeeper who made the move to the Saudi Pro League in previous summers, and became one of the highest-paid African footballers in the world in the process, is Edouard Mendy. The former Chelsea man had a brief, yet eventful time at Stamford Bridge, first coming in as the first-choice keeper, before falling out of favour.

He left for Al-Ahli in the summer of 2023 after being one of the best goalkeepers in Europe and was offered a massive salary – 200,044 on a week-by-week basis – to make the move to Saudi Arabia. He’s been ever-present for the side since joining too, playing 92 games and keeping 49 clean sheets in the process. Not bad at all.

8

Achraf Hakimi – £227,383-a-week

Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco

One of the most talented full-backs in the world, you could argue that Achraf Hakimi should probably actually be on more money considering just how many teams have been interested in him over the years. The clubs he’s played for read like a real who’s-who of top European sides. Starting with Real Madrid, it was a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund that saw him emerge as an elite talent.

He then spent one season at Inter Milan and flourished in Italy, before Paris Saint-Germain spent big to bring him to France in 2021. In the years since, the Moroccan has regularly been one of the Ligue 1 club’s standout stars, and considering he’s still just 27 years old, he might be due a pay-rise in the future too given his influence is showing no signs of slowing down. Especially as he spearheaded them to glory on the Champions League stage.

7

Franck Kessie – £233,385-a-week

Al-Ahli and Ivory Coast

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After a short break, we’re back with another star who’s earning major money in the Saudi Pro League. It’s another player on Al-Ahli’s books too, as Franck Kessie is earning just around the £233,385-per-week mark on a weekly basis at the Saudi Arabian club. The Ivory Coast international made a name for himself at AC Milan but joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022.

His time in Spain was rough, and after just a year, he moved to Al-Ahli and has been on a very nice salary ever since. He’s more than doing enough to earn it as well. Last season, he contributed directly to nine goals in 44 appearances and has started 2025/26 in a similar vein with nine contributions in 19 outings. Not bad for a central midfielder.

6

Omar Marmoush – £295,000-a-week

Manchester City and Egypt

When Erling Haaland hasn’t been at the races, Manchester City have tended to struggle with their lack of firepower – hence their January 2025 addition of former Eintracht Frankfurt talisman Omar Marmoush who, after putting pen to paper, began earning £295,000 on a weekly basis. It was expected that he’d play a similar role to Julian Alvarez, working behind and fashioning opportunities for the aforementioned Haaland, but it’s not always been sunshine and rainbows for the Egyptian.

Unselfish in his play but also a natural-born finisher with great instincts – as evidenced by his 2024/25 tally of 25 goal contributions in 17 Bundesliga appearances – the 26-year-old, regarded as one of the best strikers in world football, has shifted down Pep Guardiola’s pecking order but is still a great talent nonetheless.