The Super Eagles of Nigeria will be among the 24 teams that will compete in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins on 13 January 2024 in Ivory Coast.
For Jose Peseiro's side, it will be their 21st AFCON tournament and a window to extend the nation's trophy haul to four since their last win in South Africa, 2013.
Among the top earning African players which will be taking part in the competition, are Super Eagles players.
Several key players have been included in the Nigerian team, these stars come into the tournament with huge weekly and yearly salaries under their belt which this article will discuss about.
But first, it is important to list out the names of the players in the Eagles squad before we get to know the highest paid team members amongst them.
The Super Eagles players at AFCON 2023
Coach Jose Peseiro announced the final 25-man squad to prosecute AFCON 2023 in the Ivory Coast, here are they:
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); William Troost-Ekong (PAOK Salonika, Greece); Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal); Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa FC, Turkey); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Joe Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Sivasspor K, Turkey); Victor Osimhen (Napoli SC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad, Spain); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
Highest paid Super Eagles players at AFCON 2023
Having established the list of the players Nigeria has taken to AFCON 2023, let's delve into the very top earners in the 25-man squad
Victor Osimhen – €12,820,000 per year
Osimhen recently extended his deal with Napoli for a further two years on Christmas Eve to more than double his wages at the club.
According to Capology, the Serie A Best Player has a gross yearly payroll of €12, 820,000 million (N12 billion plus) which pegs his weekly salary at €246,538 (N244 million plus)
The new deal placed the African Footballer of the Year at the top of Napoli's payroll, which automatically means that Osimhen is Nigeria's highest paid footballer at the moment.
Samuel Chukwueze – €5,130,000 per year
Chukwueze left Villarreal for Serie A giants AC Milan on 27 July 2023. According to Capology data, he earns €98,654 per week (N97 million plus) and €5,130,000 per year (N5 billion plus) while playing for AC Milan. This makes him one of the very top earners in the Super Eagles team.
Alex Iwobi – £4,160,000 per year
Since Iwobi's move to Fulham on 2 September 2023 for an undisclosed fee, the Super Eagles midfielder has been earning £80,000 per week (N91 million plus) and £4,160,000 per year (N4.7 billion plus) to put him in the list of highest earners in the team.
Kelechi Iheanacho – £4,160,000 per year
Leicester City signed Iheanacho on a five-year deal from Manchester City on 3 August 2017 for a reported £25 million fee.
While at the club, Iheanacho has become a top earning member of the Super Eagles, pocketing home a weekly salary of £80,000 (N91 million plus) and an annual salary of £4,160,000 (N4.7 billion plus).
Wilfred Ndidi – £3,900,000 per year
Ndidi has been one of the longest members of the Leicester City team, he has played for the Foxes since 2016.
The Super Eagles holding midfielder earns a weekly wage of £75,000 (N86.6 million plus) and annual pay of £3,900,000 (N4.4 billion plus) this puts him in the top earning players in the AFCON for Nigeria.
Joe Aribo – £3,640,000 per year
Southampton and Nigerian midfielder Aribo earns a weekly salary of £70,000 (N79.9 million plus), and a yearly net pay of £3,640,000 (N4.1 billion plus)
Clearly, Aribo is one of the Super Eagles big boys who will be taking to the field in AFCON 2023.
Ademola Lookman – €2,373,360 per year
One of the hottest Super Eagles forwards at the moment is Lookman who plays for Atalanta in the Serie A.
According to Capology, Lookman earns €45,642 per week (N45 million plus) and €2,373,360 yearly (N2.3 billion plus) as a player for Atalanta.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
