Top 10 Richest Footballers In Nigeria (2022)

Nigeria has produced several great and wealthy footballers over the years. But since Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni are no longer playing actively, then it is necessary to make a fresh list of the richest footballers in Nigeria; skillful players who have made the most of their talents, and earned the highest wages for their sweat.

Of course, talent is not enough to bring in the type of wealth under consideration in this article. One would need to have proper management which includes joining the best teams with the ability to pay good money, signing good contracts that guarantee playing time and bonuses, and then getting good endorsement deals.

With so many Nigerians playing in Europe, it is very interesting to see those who have risen to the very top.

Top 10 Richest Footballers In Nigeria

1. John Mikel Obi

Estimated Net Worth: $30 Million

John Mikel Obi is one of Nigeria’s most illustrious footballers; he has had a stellar career, one that has seen him rise from playing street football in Jos, Plateau State, to conquering Europe.

John Obi Mikel is a legend at Chelsea; he was part of the revolution at the club which saw Chelsea rise from a mid-table club to one of the biggest clubs in the whole world.

John Mikel Obi spent 11 years at Chelsea, and he earned about 140,000 per week on average. He also earned a lot of money from bonuses due to him all the trophies he won during his career.

John Mikel Obi’s honours include a Champions League title, one Europa League, two Premier League titles, three FA Cup titles, and one Football League Cup (Carabao Cup) title with Chelsea. With the Super Eagles, he also won an Afcon title, as well as a bronze medal for the Afcon.

2. Obafemi Martins

Estimated Net Worth: $25 Million

Obafemi Martins is one man who has made a huge fortune from his football talent; he is without a shred of doubt one of the richest footballers in Nigeria with over 20 years of active football and still counting. As for raw talent, pace and power, we may never see another Obafemi Martins.

He has had very good management; he played for Regianna and then Inter Milan in Italy, before making a big-money move to Newcastle United in England. He also played for Birmingham, and Levante in Spain, before earning huge money in America and then China.

Obafemi Martins has still not retired from football. Despite all the money and fame, he has attained in his career.

3. Odion Jude Ighalo

Estimated Net Worth: $23 Million

Odion Jude Ighalo is a powerful striker; one of the few true number 9s of the modern game. In his career, he has played for Udinese, Watford, and Manchester United (on loan). He earned huge amounts of money playing in the Chinese League for 2 different clubs, before moving to Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia.

While he was in China, he earned an average of $280,000 a week; and now in Saudi Arabia, he earns a similar figure. He has also done endorsement work for several brands.

4. Victor Moses

Estimated Net Worth: $19 Million

Victor Moses is a utility player; over the years he has played as a supporting striker, a defender, a midfielder, and a winger. He has also played as a right-wing-back, and all the while he has made an impact in his career by winning laurels. He has played for several clubs including Stoke City, Liverpool, West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Wigan Athletic.

Perhaps it was during his time at Chelsea that he made his best impression: with Chelsea he won a Premier League title, as well as two Europa League titles.

He now plays for Spartak Moscow in the Russian League and has already added the Russian Cup to his list of honours. During his time at Chelsea he earned about $100,000 a week, and although at Spartak he now earns around $80,000 a week, but he still wins laurels and gets bonuses from the trophy wins.

5. Ahmed Musa

Estimated Net Worth: $15 Millon

Ahmed Musa is the current Super Eagles Captain. He has been a loyal servant of the Green and White, and has had a great career playing football in Europe.

Ahmed Musa has played for a number of great clubs including; VVV-Venlo, CSKA Moscow, Leicester City, CSKA Moscow (loan), Al Nassr, Kano Pillars, and now Fatih Karagümrük in the Turkish Super Lig.

While he has not been one of the highest earners, he has certainly had a long career, and that brings him up among the richest footballers in Nigeria. He currently earns about $2.5 million per year in Turkey, and that does not include the money he will get as bonuses for scoring goals and winning trophies.

Ahmed Musa has a beautiful mansion in Kano, and he is very charitable; making huge donations to Mosques in Nigeria.

6. Emmanuel Emenike

Estimated Net Worth: $14 Million

Emmanuel Emenike is another player who is in the twilight of his career, and who has a lot to look back at in his career. He has won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with the Super Eagles, as well as won the Super Lig, and the Turkish Super Cup.

He has played for several clubs in his career, including Spartak Moscow in Russia, Olympiacos in Greece, Fenerbahce in Turkey, and karabokspur in Turkey.

While he plots his next move, he remains one of Nigeria’s most travelled footballers; earning with every move.

7. Peter Utaka

Estimated Net Worth: $14 Million

Peter Utaka is a Nigerian forward who currently plays for the Japanese side Kyoto Sanga. He has had a long career playing all over Europe before coming to Asia. Sadly, however, he was overshadowed by his older brother John Utaka “Utaka the Attacker.”

Peter Utaka has had a good career; he has played for such notable clubs as Maasmechelen, Westerlo, Royal Antwerp, Dalian Aerbin, Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Shenxin, Shimizu S-Pulse, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and so on.

Since when he signed for Maasmechelen in 2003, till date; he has played football professionally for 20 years. Perhaps the highest point of his career was when he played at Shanghai Shenxin; he was said to earn around 80,000 per week.

8. Alex Iwobi

Estimated Net Worth: $10 Million

Alex Iwobi was for a short time the golden boy of Nigerian football; he certainly has the skills although he lacks the consistency. Having made the 35 Million Pound move to Everton from Arsenal; he has not really thrived at the club because there has been a lack of cohesion and consistency.

Nevertheless, Alex Iwobi has continued to earn his weekly wages of about 50,000 pounds per week. That amounts to 2.6 million pounds a year, and since he has been playing for some years now, it is safe to say that he has at least made some good money during his career.

9. Kelechi Iheanacho

Estimated Net Worth: $9 Million

Kelechi Iheanacho is a Nigerian forward who sometimes plays as a midfielder or a striker. He is one of Nigeria’s hottest prospects; having won A-League Cup, and an FA Cup with Manchester City and Leicester City respectively. He is one of the key players for Leicester City, and he earns around 100,000 pounds per week.

He will surely climb up the list of Nigeria’s wealthiest sportsmen if he can continue to play and earn. Kelechi Iheanacho has not been the most confident player at Leicester; he has only just started to gain the trust of the coaches and the team.

10. Victor Osimehin

Victor Osimehin is an exciting player indeed. He is a true number 9; there are very few goal poachers like him in football today. Currently, he plays for Napoli, where he earns a little over 100,000 Euros a week. However, he has not played for very long, and he has not won many laurels yet.

Nevertheless; it is quite certain that Victor Osimehin is one of the top prospects in football today; the number of clubs interested in signing him shows that he is going to be a very big player; it is only a matter of time.

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Finally

The richest footballers in Nigeria tend to change from year to year, as some players retire from the game, leaving their spots for younger players who are eager to impress.

Furthermore, players sign improved contracts when they have proved themselves over time to be worth more than their current deals offer.