Most Expensive African Footballers In History. Gone are the days where the transfer market is where you can easily sign top-notch footballers for a relatively decent amount of money, but not anymore as the story of the transfer market has changed dramatically, now the market is for the rich and those who are ready to break the bank to secure the service of footballers.
As such, Africa has contributed immensely to European football through the talent and qualities of its players, as Africans in the game have also been placed among the most valuable and expensive African footballers in the world when they switched teams.
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Sadio Mane, 2016: Southampton to Liverpool – $42.5 million
Four short years ago, Liverpool snapped Sadio Mane off the hands of Southampton, making the Senegal international the most expensive African player in history.
Mane’s transfer fee topped the $32m Manchester City paid Swansea City for Wilfried Bony in January 2015.
Today he only sits in 10th place, waiting for the next significant transfer to push him out of the top ten.
But the forward who was signed for scoring 21 goals in 67 Premier League appearances for the Saints has more than repeated the trick at Anfield, netting 81 goals and creating 34 assists in 170 games for the Reds so far.
Even more important than the goals have been the trophies, with Mane helping Jurgen Klopp’s side win the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League in successive seasons.
There is more still to come from the reigning African Footballer of the Year who only turned 28 in April.
Hakim Ziyech: Ajax to Chelsea, 2020 – $43.5 million
Back in February, in the thick of the rampaging coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea saw the need to add another gifted African star to their playing personnel, and the Blues coughed out $43.5 million to convince Ajax to release Hakim Ziyech.
A 26-year-old winger who can also play as a No 10, Ziyech has been the creative spark of the Ajax side that bewitched the rest of Europe with their daring attacking football over the past couple of seasons.
A three-time Ajax Player of the Year award winner, Ziyech was named in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League squad of the season after helping Ajax to the semi-finals.
He was equally influential as the Dutch champions reached the final of the Europa League in 2017.
Forty-eight goals and 82 assists in just 165 games for Ajax, suggests Ziyech may be the key Frank Lampard needs to unlock opposition defences next campaign.
Mohamed Salah: AS Roma to Liverpool, 2017 – $44.5 million
Salah’s first spell in England for Chelsea was underwhelming, and no one would have blamed the Egyptian forward if he never wanted to return to the Premier League after moving on loan to AS Roma.
With the Giallorossi, Salah developed into one of Serie A’s most exciting forwards, his pace, trickery, and finishing giving defenders nightmares.
In his two seasons in the Italian capital, the Egypt international made a total of 83 appearances for the club, scoring 34 goals.
Shortly after, he was back in England after Liverpool parted with almost $45 million, and this time, incredible success followed.
Several individual awards have come flowing into the former Basel star, including the Premier League Player of the Year award as well as two Premier League Golden Boots.
But none can outshine helping Liverpool return to the pinnacle of English football. Money well spent.
Achraf Hakimi: Real Madrid to Inter Milan, 2020 – $53 million
Achraf Hakimi joined the Real Madrid academy in 2006 but spent the past two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund, where he forged his reputation as one of Europe’s best-attacking fullbacks.
The youngster was widely expected to return to Santiago Bernabeu after several stellar showings for Dortmund in the Champions League and Bundesliga, where he claimed important goals and assists.
But Antonio Conte quickly identified the 21-year-old Moroccan as his long-term right wing-back solution with Antonio Candreva entering the twilight of his career and Victor Moses only on loan from Chelsea. Inter Milan then paid $53 million in July to secure the services of the highly-rated fullback until 2025.
Naby Keita: Leipzig to Liverpool, 2018 – $64 million
In the summer of 2017, Liverpool agreed to a deal to sign one of the Bundesliga’s most complete midfielders in RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita.
For a footballer who could play as a number eight and a number 10, win loads of tackles, dribble with ease, pick apart a defence with a clever through ball, Keita would have cost more than just $64 million.
But the Reds appeased the Red Bulls by letting the Guinea international stay in Germany for one more year before moving to Anfield in July 2018.
Despite the concession, it was still a costly deal that surpassed the club record fee Liverpool paid to Newcastle for Andy Carroll in 2011.
But Keita lifted both the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup in his debut season with Liverpool before playing his part as the Reds won their first-ever Premier League title last month.
5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Dortmund to Arsenal [£56m] – 2018
Arsenal signed Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for £56 million on January 31, 2018. The 28-year-old was on fire for the squad that season, scoring 31 goals. Arsenal were to pay £70 million to the Bundesliga club for the Gabonese international, but they were able to reduce the price to £56 million.
4. Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City to Manchester City [£60m] -2018
Manchester City confirmed the purchase of Riyad Mahrez from Leicester for a record cost of £60 million on a five-year contract on July 10, 2018. The Algerian became the club’s most expensive player and established the record for the most expensive African player at the time of his signing.
3. Cedric Bakambu – Villarreal to Beijing Guoan [£65m] – 2018
Cedric Bakambu was formerly at Villarreal, but Beijing Guoan, a Chinese team, was able to entice the Congolese star with a massive £65 million offer. As a result, he’s among the best African transfers.
2. Nicolas Pepe – Lille to Arsenal [£72m] – 2019
Arsenal signed Nicolas Pepe on a five-year contract from Lille in a world-record £72 million transaction. That year, the Ivory Coast international outspent Dortmund’s £56 million signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to become the most expensive African player.
1. Victor Osimhen – Lille to Napoli [£80m] – 2020
Victory Osimhen joined SSC Napoli on a permanent contract from Lille for a club-record fee of £80 million. As a result, the Nigerian international will go down in history as the most expensive African player ever.