Football, also called association football or soccer, is a game involving two teams of 11 players who try to maneuver the ball into the other team’s goal without using their hands or arms. The team that scores more goals wins. Football is the world’s most popular ball game in numbers of participants and spectators.
Footballers are one of the luckiest humans on the planet earth, they get to enjoy the luxury of earning a living, and they end up making a lot of money off it.
A lot of people have been searching for the top ten richest footballers in Nigeria, that is the reason we have decided to write about it today.Many years ago, most parents discouraged and scolded their kids for playing or watching football games but this days, many parents are enlightened and even buy football for their children and support them if footballing is the career choice they make.
Below are the complied list of the highest paid and richest footballers in Nigeria in 2023 according to Wikipedia.
1.JOHN MIKEL OBI – ₦25Billion
John Michael Nchekwube Obinna professionally known as Mikel John obi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder.Mikel Obi is arguably the most successful and decorated Nigerian player.
Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at the age of 17 in 2004. In 2006, he made a controversial transfer to English club Chelsea after Manchester United claimed they had already signed him. He stayed with Chelsea for 11 years. Mikel moved back to England in August 2020 joining Stoke City. In a 14-year international career between 2005 and 2019, he played 91 times for Nigeria, scoring six goals.
2.OBAFEMI MARTINS – ₦14Billion
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is known for his speed on the ball. After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he has since played for a number of top-division clubs around Europe.
Obafemi martins began his senior career in 2002 at Serie A club Inter Milan, before moving to Premier League club Newcastle United in 2006, and then to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in 2009. Having joined Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan in July 2010, they loaned him to Birmingham City in January 2011.
He spent a season with La Liga club Levante, played for Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer from 2013 to 2015, scoring 40 goals, before spending several years in China with Shanghai Shenhua and Wuhan.
3.ODION IGHALO – ₦13.5Billion
Odion Jude Ighalo is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi club Al Hilal and the Nigeria national team.
After starting his career at Nigerian clubs Prime and Julius Berger, Ighalo moved to Norwegian club Lyn in 2007. A year later, he was signed by Italian club Udinese, spending most of his tenure on two separate loan spells with Spanish club Granada. In 2014, he signed for Championship club Watford and was integral in the club’s promotion to the Premier League in the 2014–15 season.
In January 2017, Ighalo joined Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai for a reported £20 million, before moving onto Shanghai Shenhua. In January 2020, Ighalo returned to the Premier League, joining Manchester United on loan, initially until the end of the 2019–20 season; the loan was then extended until January 2021.
4.VINCENT ENYEAMA – ₦10Billion
Vincent Enyeama is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is popularly regarded as one the greatest African Goalkeepers of all time and of his era.
During his senior career, which spanned nearly 20 years, Enyeama played for Ibom Stars, Enyimba, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Lille and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
He was also a member of the Nigeria national team from 2002 until October 2015, serving as its captain from 2013 until his retirement from international football in 2015. With 101 caps, he was Nigeria’s most capped player until November 2021 when he was surpassed by Ahmed Musa.
5.VICTOR MOSES – ₦7.3Billion
Victor Moses is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger on either flank for Russian club Spartak Moscow. He has also been deployed as a wing-back at times during his career.
Moses represented England youth teams at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, but opted to play for Nigeria as opposed to being fully capped for England.
He made his debut for the Nigerian senior team in 2012 and earned 38 caps and scored 12 times before retiring from international matches in 2018. He played in Nigeria’s winning campaign at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the campaign in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
6.AHMED MUSA – ₦6.5Billion
Ahmed Musa is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward and left winger for Turkish Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük and the Nigeria national team.
Ahmed Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, after scoring twice against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Musa is also the first Nigerian to score in two FIFA World Cup competitions, after scoring twice against Iceland in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Musa was a member of the Al Nassr squad that won the Saudi Premier League and Saudi Super Cup, both in 2019.
7.EMMANUEL EMENIKE – ₦6.4Billion
Emmanuel Chinenye Emenike is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker. He most recently played for Belgian club Westerlo.
Emenike has also had a very illustrious career playing in numerous football clubs across Europe, South Africa, and even in Nigeria, he earned his status as a household name in the 2013 nations’ cup, emerging the highest goal scorer in the completion, leading the super eagles to victory.
8.VICTOR ANICHEBE – ₦6Billion
Victor Chinedu Anichebe is a Nigerian retired professional footballer who played as a forward.
Victor Anichebe has a wealth of experience in English football, having played for a number of teams in the top division including West Brom, Sunderland, and most importantly Everton, where he enjoyed a lengthy career.
9.KELECHI IHEANACHO – ₦1.4Billion
Kelechi Promise Iheanacho is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team.
Iheanacho began his senior career at Manchester City during the 2015–16 season.He moved to Leicester City in 2017 for a reported £25 million fee.
Iheanacho was part of the Nigeria squad that won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Nigeria U-20 team at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.He made his senior debut for Nigeria in 2015, and played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
10.ALEX IWOBI – ₦1.3Billion
Alexander Chuka Iwobi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Everton and the Nigeria national team.
Iwobi began his career at Arsenal, making 149 appearances and scoring 15 goals, and winning the FA Cup in 2017. In August 2019, he transferred to Everton for an initial £28 million fee.Iwobi represented England up to under-18 level.
He made his senior international debut for Nigeria in October 2015, and was part of their squads at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and 2021, finishing third at the 2019 tournament.
SUMMARY
From the list above one can say the Nigerian football academy is doing well.
I really do hope you found this article helpful, what do you really think about the top 10 Richest Footballer’s and Their Net Worth? Drop your comment below.
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