Richest footballers in Nigeria 2017

Richest footballer in Nigeria 2017

We all know that football players are paid very well. Besides playing, they take part in different commercials or have their own businesses.

Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or David Beckham are well known for their wealth. Especially the last one by being the richest footballer in the world.

But how about the richest footballer in Nigeria?

Who is the richest footballer in Nigeria in 2017?

There is a fair amount of Nigerian footballers that are paid thousands of dollars each year. Some of them are international players, others play for the home team.

But there are two special players - one is the richest footballer in Nigeria and the other has the highest market value in Nigeria. Let's learn more about the talented footballers of our country.

1. Odion Ighalo Odion smilling

The richest among the football players of Nigeria is Odion Ighalo. He was born in Lagos, in 1989. He started his career in 2007 by playing with Prime F.C and Julius Berger FC.

On 16 September 2007, he made his Tippeligaen debut, by scoring the 2-0 home win and was noticed by other clubs in the country.

In 2008 he signed for Udinese Calcio and appeared in Seria A. After a year, he was loaned to Granada CF.

However, he was still owned by the Udinese. He has been there for several years and in 2014 he joined Watford. He earned the Premier League Player of the Month and was voted as a Man of the Match, both in 2015. Odion Playing

At the beginning of 2017, he joined the Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai F.C. He is the centre-forward (according to his contract) until the end of 2020. After being bought by the Chinese club, his market value has grown to almost 11 million dollars.

His weekly payment is about $250 000 - that's about N81 375 000! Can you believe it? Now he is an international player in one of the biggest clubs in China.

2. Ahmed Musa Ahmed Musa

No doubt, Odion Ighalo is quite wealthy. However, there is a player whose market value is higher that Odion’s. His name is Ahmed Musa.

He is younger than Odion (24 years old). Currently, he is playing for the club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. He is famous for being the first Nigerian who has scored more than once in a FIFA World Cup match.

His career began in 2007 at the GBS Football Academy. During the following three years, he was loaned to JUTH F.C, and Kano Pillars F.C.

He also held a record until November 2011 - as a player who scored the highest number of goals in the history of the Nigeria Premier League.

In 2012, he became a part of CSKA Moscow. Four years later he moved to Leicester City. His market value is about 20 million dollars. However, his weekly payment is about 77000 dollars (about N25 063 500) which is significantly less that Odion’s.

There you have it - the richest football players in Nigeria. They are professionals in their job and we are proud that their homeland is Nigeria.

3. Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Martins was born on 28 October 1984. He left Nigeria when he was 16. Obafemi played for several clubs around Europe.

He began his senior career in Italia. He played in Inter-Milan of Italy, Newcastle united of England, Birmingham City of England, Vfl Wolfsborg of Germany , Rubin Kazan of Russia. Currently he is a forward for Seattle Sounders FC and the Nigeria national team. Richest footballer in Nigeria 2017

Martins owns a classy convertible Mercedes McLaren

His annual salary is $1,6 million. It is a highest salary for Seattle Sounders FC. He owns two luxury houses near Lagos, elite mansion in Como, Italy.

He also owns several hotels in Italy. As for his cars – he likes to drive Lamborghini (N50 million), Porsche Gemballa (N20 million), BMWX6 (N18 million) and a Ferrari sport car.


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