Top 10 Most Expensive African Footballers Of All Time

In recent seasons, African footballers have been at the forefront of European football, with the bulk of the continent’s big hitters having significant African influence within their squads. Players such as Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Riyad Mahrez, have become household names in the English Premier League. In recognition of the African impact on the game, here is a compilation of the top 10 most expensive African footballers of all time.

Top 10 most expensive African footballers of all time

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1. Nicolas Pepe

Ivory Coast winger, Nicolas Pepe is the most expensive African Footballer of all time. He was signed for Arsenal from Lille for a club-record fee of £72m in 2019.

Pépé began his senior club career with Poitiers in the Championnat de France Amateur 2. He signed for Angers in 2013 and spent a season on loan at Orléans in 2015.  He signed for Lille in 2017 and was named to the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year in the 2018–19 season.

Pepe is a quick and skilled attacking winger who is comfortable on both flanks but usually plays on the right wing cutting onto his left foot. He won the FA Cup in his debut season at Arsenal.

2. Victor Osimhen

Nigerian star, Victor Osimhen takes second place among the most expensive African footballers of all time. He was signed by  Napoli from Lille for a club-record fee of £70m in 2020.

Initially, neither of the clubs officially gave details of the transfer, a source from Lille, who is familiar with the transfer, told AFP that the Ligue 1 team would receive 70 million euros with add-ons potentially worth 10 million euros.

Osimhen began his senior career in Germany at VfL Wolfsburg in 2017. Following a season and a half at the club, he moved to Belgian side Charleroi on loan in 2018–19, before moving to France at Lille. He is a recipient of many honours including the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2015.

3. Riyad Mahrez

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Leicester City at Etihad Stadium on December 26, 2021, in Manchester, England. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

The Captain of the Algerian national team, Riyad Mahrez joins the list of the most expensive African footballers of all time, after he was signed for a transfer fee of £67. 8 Million in 2018.  The 31-year-old striker was signed by Manchester City from Leicester City.

Mahrez began his career as a youth player for French club AAS Sarcelles. He turned professional in 2009 with Quimper, where he played for only one season before moving to Le Havre. In January 2014, He moved to Leicester City, helping them win the Championship and promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season.

In the 2015–16 season, He helped Leicester City win the Premier League, and was the Algerian Footballer of the Year, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, and a member of the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.  He also won the Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup in his debut season at Manchester City.

He was named CAF’s African Footballer of the Year in 2016 and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.

4. Cedric Bakambu

DR Congo’s Cedric Bakambu joins the list of the most African expensive player of all time after he was signed for a record fee of £65m. He was signed by the Chinese outfit, Beijing Guoan from Villarreal in 2018.

Bakambu made his professional debut for Sochaux in 2010, and played 107 official games for them over five seasons, scoring 21 goals. He then moved to Bursaspor for €1.8 million, finishing as top scorer as his team came runners-up in the Turkish Cup, before signing for Villarreal a year later.

Like many on their Cedric of many honours including the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in  2010. He also won the Chinese FA Cup in his debut season at Beijing Guoan. Individual honours include UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2015–16; La Liga Player of the Month in October 2017 and Chinese Super League Top Scorer in  2020.

5. Pierre Emrick Aubameyang

Gabonese star, Pierre Emrick Aubameyang is not only one of the richest and highest paid African footballers but also one of the most expensive African footballer of all time.  The 32-year-old player was signed by Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee, of £63.8 Million.

Abumeyang began his career playing for Italian club AC Milan, but never appeared for the club as he went on a series of loan spells in France. He moved to Saint-Étienne in 2011. There, he won a Coupe de la Ligue title and joined Borussia Dortmund in 2013.

At Borrusia Dortmund, Aubameyang finished as the league’s top goalscorer in the 2016–17 season and won a DFB-Pokal. He also ranks as the club’s seventh highest all-time goalscorer. With Arsenal, he won an FA Cup and finished as the league’s joint-top goalscorer in the 2018–19 season. In 2022, Aubameyang joined Barcelona after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

6. Naby Keita

Liverpool’s signing of  Naby Keita for a record fee of ₤60 Million in 2018, puts him on the list of the most expensive African footballers of all time. The Guinean player was signed on a five-year deal from RB Leipzig.

Keita began his professional career with Ligue 2 club FC Istres in 2013, and a year later he moved to Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Football Bundesliga and Austrian Cup double in both of his seasons. He then moved to RB Leipzig in 2016, making the Bundesliga team of the season in his first year and the UEFA Europa League squad of the season in his second.

He won the  UEFA Champions League in his debut season at Liverpool, and the FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League the following season. Individual honours include CAF Team of the Year in  2018, Footballer of the Year in Guinea in 2015 & 2021, Austrian Football Bundesliga Player of the Year in 2016, Bundesliga Team of the Season: in 2017 and the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season in 2018.

7. Achraf Hakimi

Morrocan right back, Achraf Hakimi is one of the most expensive African players of all time. He was reportedly signed from Inter Milan for €60 million by Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Hakimi began his career playing for Real Madrid Castilla in 2016 and was promoted to the first team in 2017. He went on a two-year loan deal to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, winning the DFL-Supercup in 2019.

In 2020, Hakimi signed with Serie A side Inter Milan for a reported fee of €40 million, with his performances helping the club win the league title, ending the club’s eleven-year league title drought. He is also a recipient of many honours including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

 8. Sébastien Haller

Ivorian player Sebastein Haller joins the list of the most expensive African footballers of all time after he was signed by  West Ham United, for a club-record transfer worth €50 Million in 2019.

Haller began his career with Auxerre and moved on loan to Dutch Eredivisie side Utrecht in 2015, before signing permanently. After two years in The Netherlands, he moved to the German club Eintracht Frankfurt, winning the DFB-Pokal in 2018.

After a disappointing performance at West Ham, Haller returned to The Netherlands in 2021, signing with Ajax, for a club record fee of €22.5 million (£18.8 million). In his first six months, he won the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup.  His honours include the David Di Tommaso Trophy in 2015, Bundesliga Rookie of the Month n October 201, Premier League Goal of the Month in  December 2020 and Eredivisie top scorer in 2022.

9. Thomas Partey

Ghana’s most expensive player of all time, Thomas Parteytakes the ninth place on the list of the most expensive African footballers of all time. The 28-year-old player joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in a transfer worth €50 million.

Partey began his professional career at the Spanish club Atlético Madrid in 2013, going on loan to Mallorca and Almería, and returned to Atlético in 2015, with whom he won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2018.

He also represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations (2017, 2019, and 2021) and was named into the CAF Team of the Year in 2018, and won Ghana Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

10. Mohamed Salah

Concluding the list of the most expensive African footballers of all time, is the Egyptian-Liverpool star, Mohamed Salah. He signed from Roma for a record fee worth €43 Million, making him the most expensive Egyptian player of all time.

Salah began his professional career in 2010 playing for Al Mokawloon, departing in 2012 to join Basel, where he won two Swiss Super League titles.  He joined Chelsea in 2014 for a reported fee of £11 million, but limited game time led to successive loans to Fiorentina and Roma, who later signed him permanently for €15 million.

The Egyptian sensation has since then won the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, the League Cup, and the Premier League Golden Boot three times. He is considered by many, one of the greatest African players of all time.

Summary

For the sake of emphasis and optimization, here is a recap of the top 10 most expensive African footballers of all time

• Nicolas Pepe – ₤80 Million
• Victor Osimhen – ₤70 Million
• Riyad Mahrez – ₤67.8 Million
• Cedric Bakambu – ₤65 Million
• Pierre Emrick Aubameyang – ₤63.8 Million
• Naby Keita – ₤60 Million
• Achraf Hakimi – ₤60 Million
• Sébastien Haller ₤50 Million
• Thomas Partey ₤50 Million
• Mohamed Salah ₤42 Million