Pulse logo
Pulse Region

Ighalo and Osimhen lead the top 5 highest-paid Nigerian players outside the Premier League

Check out the incredible list of highest-paid Nigerian footballers plying their trade outside of England's elite division. E choke!
Highest-earning Nigerian players outside of the Premier League
Highest-earning Nigerian players outside of the Premier League

Football is no doubt the most popular sport in Nigeria with millions of fans supporting a variety of clubs abroad.

Naija has always been a home of incredible football talents and with more amazing young footballers showing in recent years, the weekly wages of Nigerian footballers has been on a rise.

Aside from the high wages they earn, it's no wonder Nigerian football stars flaunt their luxurious wealth and exotic style on social media from time to time to remind the rest of the world that truly...Naija no dey carry last.

To date, the Premier league has 46 footballers registered under an African nation.

Most of these players hail from West Africa especially Ghana and Nigeria with clubs like Leicester and Watford boasting the most players from Nigeria with the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, William Troost-Ekong and a host of others.

However, in this series we look at the highest-earning Super Eagles players outside of the Premier League.

From the biggest of leagues across Europe including the Spanish La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga as well as other top leagues.

Here are the top 5 highest-paid Nigerian footballers outside of the Premier League...E Choke:

5 Moses Simon - Nantes (France)

Unarguably Nigeria's best player at the just concluded Africa Cup Of Nations in Cameroon, Moses Simon currently plies his trade with Ligue 1 side Nantes and earns £40,000-per-week .

The 26-year-old Nigerian International was first called up in 2015 for the Super Eagles and is known for his explosive dribbling, shooting as well as his set-piece technique.

4 Joe Aribo - Rangers fc (Scotland)

Joseph Oluwaseyi Ayodele-Aribo is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Rangers and currently earns £45,000-per-week with the Scottish giants.

Aribo is a versatile player who can play centrally or in a wide midfield role..

He's also technically proficient as his long legs enable him to shield the ball from opponents effectively.

The London-born Nigerian began his club career at Staines Town then spent four years with Charlton Athletic.

At international level Aribo gained first cap for the Super Eagles in 2019, shortly after his move to Scotland.

3 Victor Moses - Spartak Moscow (Russia)

Victor Moses currently plays for Russian Super League side Spartak Moscow and currently earns around £56,000-per-week.

The 2013 AFCON winner was a popular player amongst Nigerian fans after he played a huge role in Chelsea’s Premier League triumph during the 2016-17 season.

The 31-year-old Nigerian international has previously won the Premier League, FA Cup and two UEFA Europa League titles with Chelsea.

2 Victor Osimhen - Napoli (Italy)

Victor Osimhen is arguably currently one of the best strikers in Europe and currently earns an incredible £110,000-per-week.

The Nigerian international has established himself as a key-man for Serie A side Napoli after a slow start to life in the Italian Club.

Osimhen became the most expensive African striker in history after he joined Napoli from Lille for a fee of about $80 million in the winter transfer of 2020 and the 23-year-old is slowly on his way to justifying that fee with the Italians.

1 Odion Ighalo - Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

Al-Hilal striker Odion Jude Ighalo is undisputedly the highest earning Nigerian footballer on the planet with an incredible £170,000-per-week wage with his Saudi side.

Ighalo is one of the most popular footballers in Nigeria.

Ighalo became the first Nigerian international to play for Premier League giants Manchester United after he joined the club on loan from the Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in January 2020.

Prior to his move to Saudi Arabia, Ighalo reportedly earned a whooping £250,000-per-week in China before he took a pay-cut of £200,000-per-week while on loan at Manchester United.

For the number one man on this list, E truly choke!

Next Article