David Meshioye
Erstwhile Super Eagles midfield enforcer, John Obi Mikel, has been ranked as the fifth richest player in Africa with a personal fortune estimated at $45 million.
The former Trabzonspor midfielder made most of his fortune during his 11 years stint with Chelsea following his sterling display at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Holland where he emerged as the tournament’s second-best player behind Lionel Messi.
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Mikel raked in millions during his short stint in the Chinese Super League side, Tianjin Teda in 2017 with a net worth of 25 million dollars before teeming up with Middlesbrough in 2019. He was later signed on by Turkish outfit, Trabzonspor in 2020 for a 1.5 million pounds (N607 million) per season deal.
The “Catalysts” was back in England the following season with Stoke with an annual salary of 6 million dollars before heading to Kuwait in 2021 where he became surplus to requirement within three months.
These figures however exclude the numerous brands that the former Super Eagles skipper is affiliated with as brand ambassadors.
Mikel was the brand ambassador of Amstel Malta where he smiled to the bank with N800m. He also earned N20m for his 2years deal with Peak. Despite these fortunes, Mikel is rated fifth in the long lists of African footballers’ rich list.
Occupying the top spot is the current FECAFOOT President, Samuel Eto’ Fils with a fortune around 140 million dollars while Didier Drogba is second with 100 million dollars. Yaya Toure is fourth on the log with 80 million dollars while Liverpool and Egypt star, Mo Sallah is fourth with a 70 million dollars fortune.
Below is the latest official ranking of the top 10 richest African footballers.
1st Samuel Eto’o ($ 140 million)
2nd Didier Drogba ($ 100 million)
3rd Yaya Touré ($ 80 million)
4th Mohamed Salah ($ 70 million)
5th John Obi Mikel ($ 45 million)
6th Emmanuel Adebayor ($ 45 million)
7th Kolo Touré ($ 40 million)
8th Michel Essien($ 32 million)
9th Sadio Mané ($ 30 million)
10th Pierre Emerick ($ 30 million)
