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The 10 best-paid Africans in the Saudi Pro League

Riyad Mahrez is the highest-paid African player. The Algerian winger, who joined Al Ahli last summer, earns 52 million a year.

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Riyad Mahrez wanted to stay at Manchester City, where he has piled up the trophies since 2017. But that desire to remain at one of the most competitive clubs in the world is now a distant memory. It was forgotten the moment an offer from a Saudi club arrived. Al Ahli proposed a salary of 52 million euros a year to the Algerian winger. The African champion, who has won everything in Europe, accepted it, of course. He is now the best-paid African footballer in the world.

Behind Mahrez comes Sadio Mané. The two-time African Ballon d'Or winner (2019 and 2022) was pushed out of Bayern Munich, where he spent just one season. While he was frustrated to leave the German club without showing his true worth, his bank account has certainly been boosted. Al Nassr, who already pay the biggest annual salary in sport (Cristiano Ronaldo on 200 million euros), give Mané 40 million a year. The Senegalese narrowly edges out his compatriot Kalidou Koulibaly, who is paid 34 million euros a year. Another Senegalese, striker Habib Diallo, completes the top 10 of this ranking.

Top 10 best African salaries in Saudi Arabia

1st Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Al Ahli): 52 million euros

2nd Sadio Mané (Senegal, Al Nassr): 40 million euros

3rd Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal, Al Hilal): 34 million euros

4th Seko Fofana (Ivory Coast, Al Ettifaq): 15.2 million euros

5th Franck Kessié (Ivory Coast, Al Ahli): 14 million euros

6th Edouard Mendy (Senegal, Al Ahly): 11 million euros

7th Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal): 10 million euros

8th Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon, Al Ettifaq): 5.1 million euros

9th Romais Saiss (Morocco, Al Shabab): 2.5 million euros

10th Habib Diallo (Senegal, Al Shabab): 2.2 million euros

Original SNA publication

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