Football is an extremely profitable sport, drawing in millions of viewers and millions more in commercial revenue every year. Many African players have made their mark in the world's top leagues and championships, and the sport is immensely popular across the continent. Some of them have achieved celebrity status, resulting in widespread acclaim and lucrative endorsement deals. Here we take a look at the top 10 Most Valuable Football players from Africa in 2023. Along with their successes and performances on the field, we will also look at their influence and impact off it.
10. Wilfried Ndidi (Nigeria) - €25 million
Wilfried Ndidi, 26, is a defensive midfielder who plays for Premier League club Leicester City, where he joined from Genk in 2017 for a fee of £17 million.
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Wilfried Ndidi (Nigeria) | Source: Google[/caption]
He has been a consistent and influential player for Leicester City, helping them win the FA Cup in 2020/2021 and finish fifth in the league in 2021/2022. In all competitions for Nigeria, Ndidi has contributed by playing 52 times and providing 2 solid assists.
Ndidi is known for his tackling, interceptions, passing, and long-range shooting skills. He has been rated as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world by several pundits and managers.
9. Evan Ndicka (Côte d’Ivoire) - €28 million
Evan Ndicka, 24, is a central defender who got signed to AS Roma on a free transfer from Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Evan Ndicka (Côte d’Ivoire) | Credit: Skysports. | Source: Google[/caption]
He has been a strong and composed defender for Eintracht Frankfurt, helping them finish fourth in the league in 2020/2021 and qualify for the Champions League. Although he is yet to play for his new club, AS Roma and the National team, Côte d’Ivoire, Ndicka had a brilliant stat at Frankfurt contributing 12 goals and 10 assists in 183 appearances.
8. Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco) - €30 million
The 27-year-old Sofyan Amrabat is an adaptable midfielder who can play in a number of positions. He moved to Fiorentina from Hellas Verona in 2020 for a transfer cost of €20 million and now plays for them in Serie A.
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Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco) | Source: Google[/caption]
He has been a key contributor to Fiorentina's success this season, which saw them place eighth in the league. In addition, he has been an indispensable player on the Morocco national team, where he has made 49 appearances.
Amrabat is worth €30 million on the market. His work ethic, passing, dribbling, and tackling abilities have made him a fan favorite. Several major teams,
including Manchester United, have expressed interest in signing him.
7. Sadio Mané (Senegal) - €30 million
Sadio Mané is an international footballer for the Senegalese national team
and the Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr. Many consider him to be the best African player of all time due to his exceptional pressing, dribbling, and speed.
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Sadio Mané (Senegal) | Source: Google[/caption]
In a 6-1 win for Southampton over Aston Villa in 2014, Mane scored a hat trick in 176 seconds, setting a new Premier League record. He reportedly signed with Liverpool for £34 million in 2016, which at the time made him the most expensive African footballer ever. Together with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, he established an unstoppable attacking combination that led to the club's 2019 UEFA Champions League and 2020 Premier League titles. Additionally, he won the Premier League Golden Boot as a joint top scorer for the 2018–19 season.
He became only the third African player in Premier League history to score 100 goals in October 2021. He placed fifth in the 2019 edition of The Best FIFA Men's Player and fourth in the 2022 edition; he also placed fourth and five in the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player, respectively.
Since making his Senegal debut in 2012, Mané has scored 37 goals in 97 games, making him Senegal's all-time leading goalscorer and third all-time in games played. He competed for Senegal in the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, and the 2012 Olympics. Mané led Senegal to a runner-up place at the 2019 tournament and was later voted the African Footballer of the Year.
6. Nayef Aguerd (Morocco) - €35 million
Nayef Aguerd, 27, is a central defender who plays for West Ham, where he joined from Rennes for a fee of €12million in July 2022.
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Nayef Aguerd (Morocco) | Source: Google[/caption]
For Rennes, he was an unflappable defender who was instrumental in the team's 2021/22 Europa League run. Additionally, he has been an integral part of the Morocco national team, for whom he has played 34 times and scored once. Nayef has made 20 appearances for West Ham in Premier League games while scoring three goals.
The current value of Aguerd is €35 million. His leadership skills, positional awareness, and ability to make interceptions from the air have made him popular with fans. Former Morocco head coach Hervé Renard likened him to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
5. Ibrahim Sangaré (Côte d’Ivoire) - €35 million
Ibrahim Sangaré is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for PSV and the Ivory Coast national team as a defensive midfielder.Sangaré signed a five-year contract with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in September 2020. With him on the team, PSV won the KNVB Cup in 2022 and the Johan Cruyff Shield in both 2022 and 2023.
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Ibrahim Sangaré (Côte d’Ivoire) | Source: Google[/caption]
He was selected for the Eredivisie squad of the month in October 2021 and the Eredivisie player of the month in November 2021, respectively. Despite interest from other big European clubs, he renewed his contract with PSV until 2027 in August 2022.
Sangaré has also played at multiple levels for the Ivory Coast national team. On October 18th, 2015, he made his first appearance with the senior squad in a friendly against Morocco. Since then, he has played 31 times for his country and scored 9 goals. He was a member of the Ivory Coast team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and the semifinals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Among Sangaré's many talents are his size, height, aerial prowess, tackling, passing, and vision. He has been likened to Yaya Touré, the former Ivorian captain and one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe.
4. Thomas Partey (Ghana) - €35 million
Thomas Partey is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a right-back or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the Ghana national team. He began his professional career with Odometah, a local team, before moving to Spain in 2012 to play for Atlético Madrid.
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Thomas Partey (Ghana) | Source: Google[/caption]
With Atlético Madrid, he won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2018. In 2020, he became the most expensive Ghanaian player ever when he signed with Arsenal for £45 million (€50 million).
Partey has been an anchor on the Ghana national team since his 2016 debut. He has competed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in addition to the 2017 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. In 2018, he made the cut for CAF's Team of the Year; and in 2018 and 2019, he was named Ghana's Player of the Year. Partey has played 45 times for Ghana in international competition and scored 13 times.
3. Mohamed Salah (Egypt) - €65 million
Mohamed Salah is a prominent Egyptian forward who plays for Liverpool and the Egyptian national team. He is widely regarded as a superb footballer, and indeed one of the best African players of all time. He is an excellent winger known for his clinical finishing, dribbling and speed.
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Mohamed Salah (Egypt). | Source: Google[/caption]
Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 187 goals in 307 appearances, won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup with Liverpool, won two PFA Players' Player of the Year awards, three Premier League Golden Boots, the Premier League Player of the Season, and the Premier League Playmaker of the Season, and placed third in the voting for the Best FIFA Men's Player in 2018 and 2021. In addition, he scored the most goals (5) in Africa's World Cup qualifying tournament in 2016/17. For his goal against Everton, he was also awarded FIFA's Puskás Award for 2018.
He led Egypt to the finals of the 2017 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where they placed second both times. He has also competed for Egypt at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With 51 goals in 90 games for Egypt, he holds the record for all-time goal-scorer.
2. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) - €65 million
Achraf Hakimi is a 24-year-old Moroccan professional footballer who plays right back for both Paris Saint-Germain and the Morocco national team. He joined Real Madrid's youth academy in 2006 after being born in Madrid to Moroccan parents.
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Achraf Hakimi | Source: Google[/caption]
He made his Real Madrid debut in 2017, and he was on loan to Borussia Dortmund for two years, where he won the DFL-Supercup in 2019.
After joining Inter Milan in 2020, he played a key role in the club's first Serie A championship in 11 years, achieved in 2021. In 2021, he reportedly moved to Paris Saint-Germain for €60 million.
At the age of 17, Hakimi has already established himself as a key member of the Morocco national squad. He participated for Morocco at the 2019 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. He played a key role in the historic run of the Moroccan national team to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, the first African team to achieve so. Along with his fellow Paris Saint-Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi (who now plays for Inter Miami), he was also recognized at the Best FIFA Football Awards. Hakimi has played in 64 games for his country and scored 8 goals in all competitions.
Hakimi is versatile enough to play on either wing or even as a fullback. Many experts and fans hold him in high regard as one of the best defenders worldwide.
1. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) - €120 million
Victor Osimhen is a professional footballer for the Nigeria national team and the Serie A club Napoli. He is regarded as not only one of the best players in the world, but also one of the best strikers. When it comes to speed, strength, agility, and overall prowess, he is unmatched.
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Victor Osimhen. | Source: Google[/caption]
Napoli paid a then-record transfer fee of €70 million to sign him in 2020. In the 2021–22 season, he was named Serie A's Best Young Player. He is the African with the most goals scored in Serie A and retains the record for the most goals scored by an African in a season. Osimhen scored twice in his debut game of the season a few days ago to help seal a 1-3 victory over Frosinone.
On the international stage, he also represents Nigeria. After leading Nigeria to victory at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he was awarded the tournament's Golden Boot. He debuted with the senior national team in June 2017, and he participated in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. As of right now, he is tied for sixth place on Nigeria's all-time list for goals scored by a player in a national team. On May 29, 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari designated Osimhen as a member of the Federal Republic.
Osimhen is a well-known and highly regarded player in Nigeria and beyond. Many people enjoy his work and look up to him because of his unique combination of talent and charisma. He is well-known for his generosity, which includes providing financial support to his old academy and advocating for the education of children. Napoli's manager Luciano Spalletti has called him a "complete striker" for his versatility.
Overall
These are the top 10 most valuable footballers from Africa in 2023. They are all talented and influential players who have made their mark in world football. However, it is to be noted that this list is not based on the net worth of players or their transfer value, rather their current market value which depends on many factors, including age, performance, contract duration, injury history, and demand from other clubs.
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