Ghana has produced quite an admirable number of notable football players who ply their trade all over the world, making their country proud along the way. Among these players, there is a handful that is considered to be excelling more than others as can be seen through the salaries they are paid by their club sides.
In recent years, players like Thomas Teye Partey top the list of the richest football players in Ghana with a reported net worth of $36.4 million. Veteran Asamoah Gyan is still active and earning big bucks to be featured on the list. Other household name players like Jeffrey Schlupp and brothers Jordan and Andre Ayew also make the list. Find out which other players of Ghanaian origin feature.
The 10 Richest Ghanaian Football Players
1. Thomas Teye Partey
- Date of Birth: 13 June 1993
- Age: 30
- Place of Birth: Krobo Odumase, Ghana
- Estimated Net Worth: $36.4 Million
- Salary/Contract: £250,000 (weekly)
- Market Value: $71.6 million
- Current Club: Arsenal (England)
- Playing Position: Midfielder
- Previous Teams: Atlético Madrid, Mallorca, and Almería
- Active Since: 2011
- No. of International Caps: 30
- Trophies Won: 2 (2017-18 UEFA Europa League, 2018 UEFA Super Cup)
Earning the first position on the list of the richest football players in Ghana is football star Thomas Teye Partey who commenced his career as a youth in 2011 when he played for Odometah. He later moved to Atlético Madrid in 2012. After spending an eventful year with Atlético Madrid as a youth player, the rising star was promoted to the senior team in 2013. He was subsequently loaned to Mallorca (2013–2014), and then Almería (2014–2015). In 2015, the Ghanaian footballer returned to Atlético and went on to win the UEFA Europa League as well as the UEFA Super Cup in 2018.
The highlight of Partey’s football career happened in 2020 when he inked a contract with Arsenal FC. The transfer deal which was worth £45 million (€50 million) earned him the number one spot on the list of most expensive Ghanaian footballers of all time.
Thomas Partey has represented Ghana at two African Cup of Nations tournaments. In 2018, he was named in the CAF Team of the Year. The same year, he won the title of Ghana Player of the Year; an honor which he also won the next year being 2019. He is the current vice-captain of the Black Stars of Ghana (senior football team).
2. Asamoah Gyan
- Date Of Birth: November 22, 1985
- Age: 38
- Place of Birth: Accra
- Net Worth: $30 million
- Salary/Contract: 11.8 million GBP as at 2016 (yearly)
- Market Value: $121,300
- Current Club: Legon Cities FC Ghana
- Playing Position: Striker
- Previous Teams: Liberty Professionals, Shanghai SIPG, Udinese, Rennes, Sunderland, Al Ain, Shanghai SIPG, Kayserispor, North East United
- Active Since: 2003
- No. of International Caps: 109
- Trophies Won: 5 (UAE Pro League: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, UAE President’s Cup: 2013–14, UAE Super Cup: 2012)
Earning a second-place on the list of the richest football players in Ghana is striker Asamoah Gyan. His salary as of 2016 was 11.8 million GBP and during his days with the Chinese club Shanghai SIPG, the striker was earning £227,000 per week after tax. At the peak of his career, he was the eighth highest-paid player worldwide and the highest-paid African footballer.
Just like several other notable Ghanaian players, Gyan started his career in the Ghanaian Premier League with Liberty Professionals in 2003 before moving over to Serie A club Udinese where he spent three seasons. The year 2008 saw him as a member of Ligue 1 club Rennes and in 2011, he was loaned to Al Ain of the UAE Pro-League where he earned pride of place as the team’s highest goal scorer with 24 goals in 27 matches. He repeated the same feat when he later joined Al Ain scoring 28 goals in 32 matches. Gyan’s 2013–14 season with Al Ain saw him scoring on 44 occasions in just 40 matches. The striker also played for Sunderland, Kayserispor, North East United, Legon Cities.
Gyan has glowing records with the Ghana national team as its all-time leading goalscorer with a total of 51 goals. The team’s former captain played for his home country at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments. With 6 goals,he is the highest goalscorer of African descent in the entire history of the World Cup. He also represented his country at the Summer Olympics of 2004 and seven times in the Africa Cup of Nations starting from 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. Though he never won the trophy, Gyan assisted Ghana to finish in third place in 2008. In 2010 and 2015, they finished in the runner-up position.
Thanks to his thriving career, Gyan has accumulated enviable assets like his McCarthy Hill house worth the sum of $3 million and a Rolls Royce which is worth around $400,000. Recently in Ghana, he was granted a license to operate his own private airline called Baby Jet Airlines. Gyan is also getting into Boxing Promotion.
3. Jeffrey Schlupp
- Date of Birth: 23 December 1992
- Place of Birth: Hamburg Germany
- Age: 31
- Net Worth: $27.4 million
- Salary/Contract: £3,120,000 (yearly)
- Market Value: $11.2 million
- Current Club: Crystal Palace
- Playing Position: Striker, Left-back, Winger
- Previous Teams: Leicester City
- Active Since: 2010
- No. of International Caps: 15
- Trophies Won: 2 (2015–16 Premier League, 2013–14 Football League Championship)
Though he commenced his football career playing as a striker, Ghanaian footballer Jeffrey Schlupp now plays as a winger or a left-back for Premier League club Crystal Palace. Joining the club on the 13th of January 2017, Schlupp signed a lucrative deal to the tune of £12 million. He had launched his football career as far back as 2005 playing for Leicester City’s youth team. Still, with Leicester City, he was ushered into a senior career on the 14th of March of 2011. Five seasons later, he joined Palace on the 13th of January 2017 and has been with the club since.
Earlier in 2011, the Ghanaian player was called up to play for the German U-19 team because he was born in Germany. However, the winger failed to earn a cap for the side and has since become a part of the Ghanaian national team, representing his home country at the international level in several tournaments. With a handsome net worth of $27.4 million, the winger is deemed qualified to occupy a spot among the richest football players in Ghana. Important to note that all his revenues don’t come from football alone, the Ghanaian is neck-deep into real estate and according to him, that may likely be his main focus after retirement.
4. Jordan Ayew
- Date Of Birth: September 11, 1991
- Place of Birth: Marseille, France
- Age: 32
- Net Worth: $19.3 million
- Salary/Contract: £1.7 million
- Market Value: $12.1 million
- Current Club: Crystal Palace
- Playing Position: Forward
- Previous Teams: Marseille, Lorient, Aston Villa, Swansea City
- Active Since: 2000
- No. of International Caps: 64
- Trophies Won: 6 (2009–10 Ligue 1, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 Coupe de la Ligue, 2010, 2011 Trophée des Champions)
Jordan Ayew’s football career commenced in 2000 when he began playing for Lyon Duchère as a youth. He was a trainee when he joined Marseille in 2006 before later signing his first professional contract with the club in 2009. The Ghanaian forward also played for other notable clubs like Lorient, Aston Villa, and Swansea City. He is presently playing for Premier League club Crystal Palace. The forward is also active as a team member in the Ghanaian national team. It is worth mentioning that Jordan’s pedigree is rooted in football as he is the son of the legendary Ghana footballer and former captain of the national team, Abedi Pele.
5. Andre Ayew
- Date of Birth: December 17, 1989
- Place of Birth: Seclin, France
- Age: 34
- Net Worth: $16 million
- Salary/Contract: 3.72 million EUR as at 2012
- Market Value: $4.9 million
- Current Club: Swansea City
- Playing Position: Winger
- Previous Teams: 1860 München, Nania, Marseille, Swansea City, West Ham United, Fenerbahçe
- Active Since: 1996
- No. of International Caps: 91
- Trophies Won: 6 (2010–11, 2011–12 Coupe de la Ligue; 2010, 2011 Trophée des Champions; 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup; 2009 African Youth Championship)
Just like Jordan, Andre “Dede” Ayew is also the son of the Ghanaian football superstar, Abedi “Pele” Ayew. The duo have another brother named Ibrahim who currently plays football for Europa in Gibraltar. Andre started his youth career in 1996 playing for 1860 München before moving over to Nania and Marseille. It was in Marseille that he commenced his senior career in 2007 and since then, he has played for a good number of teams, including West Ham United and Fenerbahçe. The winger is currently showcasing his inborn soccer skills in the Championship club Swansea City while enjoying a stint as the captain of the Ghanaian national football team.
His stellar performance in football has earned him a lot of accolades and awards. He has been named Ghanaian Footballer of the Year and BBC African Footballer of the Year. His $16 million net worth earns him a well-deserved place among the richest football players in Ghana.
6. Mubarak Wakaso
- Date of Birth: 25 July 1990
- Place of Birth: Tamale Ghana
- Age: 33
- Net Worth: $14 million
- Salary/Contract: 300,000 Euros
- Current Club: Shenzhen
- Playing Position: Midfielder
- Previous Teams: Ashanti Gold SC, Elche CF, Villareal, Espanyol, Rubin Kazan, Panathinaikos, Alavés, Jiangsu Suning
- Active Since: 2007
- No. of International Caps: 58
- Trophies Won: 3 (Scottish Premiership: 2014–15; Scottish League Cup: 2015; Chinese Super League: 2020)
Mubarak Wakaso started playing at the youth level with SC Adelaide in Ghana before moving on to launch his senior career in 2008 with Ashanti Gold SC. He would go on to play for Europan clubs like Elche CF, RCD Espanyol, Rubin Kazan, Celtic, Las Palmas, Panathinaikos, Granada, and Alaves before moving to Asia where he has played for Jiangsu Suning and Shenzhen.
The midfielder has further represented his country in several tournaments, notable among them are the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, 2013 CAN, 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, 2014 FIFA World Cup, and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He is still very much active in the Ghana National Team.
7. Mohammed Kudus
- Date of Birth: 2nd August 2000
- Age: 23
- Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
- Net Worth: 6 million Euros
- Salary/Contract: €1,200,000 (yearly)
- Current Club: Ajax
- Position: Forward and Midfielder
- Previous Teams: Nordsjælland
- Active Since: 2018
- Trophies Won: 2 (2020–21 Eredivisie and 2020-21 KNVB Cup)
Born in the year 2000, Ghanaian forward Mohammed Kudus was just 12 years old when he launched his youth career playing for Strongtower FC. His days as a youth player also saw him play for the popular Ghanaian football academy Right to Dream from 2012 to 2018. Starting to play as a professional in 2018, he joined the Danish club Nordsjælland. His professional debut was in a game against Brøndby IF which ended in a 2-0 defeat. He, however, earned himself pride of place as the ninth youngest footballer to ever debut with the club.
A lucrative five-year contract worth the sum of €9 million saw his transfer from Nordsjælland to Ajax on the 16th of July 2020. It has also ensured him the number eight spot on the list of richest footballers in Ghana. Kudus’s debut for Ajax came a few weeks later in a game against RKC Waalwijk. His performance was so remarkable that he earned a compliment from head coach Erik ten Hag who described him as a footballer with “incredible potentials”. Barely three months after his first game for the team, Kudus made his UEFA Champions League debut. It proved to be a disaster as the Ghanaian did not play beyond the first six minutes before he suffered a meniscus injury that kept him out for a long time.
On the international front, Mohammed Kudus made four appearances for the Ghana U-17 team, scoring one goal along the way. The forward, who also doubles as a midfielder, has also played for the Ghana U-20 team, recording three appearances before he was promoted to the senior side in 2019.
8. John Boye
- Date of Birth: April 23, 1987
- Age: 36
- Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
- Net Worth: $5 million
- Salary/Contract: Around $600,000 (yearly)
- Current Club: Metz
- Playing Position: Defender, Right-Back, Center-Back, Left-Back
- Previous Teams: Heart of Lions, Rennes, Kayseri Erciyesspor, Sivasspor
- Active Since: 2005
- No. of International Caps: 68
- Trophies Won: Nil
John Boye’s youth career saw him play for Schwepps’ youth academy, Pro Consult Sports Academy, Miracle FC, and the Heart of Lions. It was with the latter that he commenced his professional career in 2007 before moving over to Rennes in 2008. Boye later moved on to enjoy a remarkable stint with Sivasspor in 2015 before joining his current team, Metz FC. He signed a four-year deal with the Metz on the 21st of June 2018.
Boye is very much active in the Ghana National Team, manning the defense of the Black stars. Since his emergence as a professional soccer player, he has been playing in positions like center-back, left-back, right-back. The defender was notably a part of the team that won Silver at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
9. Afriyie Acquah
- Date of Birth: January 5, 1992
- Age: 32
- Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
- Net Worth: $4 million
- Salary/Contract: 500,000 EUR as at 2013 (yearly)
- Market Value: $2.2 million
- Current Club: Yeni Malatyaspor
- Playing Position: Midfielder
- Previous Teams: Palermo, Parma, Hoffenheim, Sampdoria, Torino, and Empoli
- Active Since: 2011
- No of International Caps: 36
Like many others before him, Afriyie Acquah started his football career as a youth with Glentoran. He was with the team from 2005 to 2008 before joining Mine Stars from 2008 to 2009, Bechem United in 2009, D.C. United F.C. from 2009 to 2010, and then Palermo from 2010 to 2011. The strong, talented and tenacious football player was still with Palermo when he started playing professionally and to date, he has played for clubs such as Parma, Hoffenheim, Sampdoria, Torino, and Empoli. The midfielder is currently in Turkey, playing for Yeni Malatyaspor.
10. Emmanuel Boateng
- Date of Birth: 23rd May 1996
- Age: 27
- Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
- Net Worth: $1 – $5 Million
- Salary/Contract: €3 million (yearly)
- Current Club: Dalian Professional
- Playing Position: Striker
- Previous Teams: Rio Ave, Moreirense, Levante
- Active Since: 2004
- No. of International Caps: 7
- Trophies Won: 1 (Taça da Liga: 2016–17)
Emmanuel Boateng commenced his youth football career playing with his hometown team of Charity Stars in 2004. He then joined the youth set up of Rio Ave in 2013 after impressing at a trial. By the following year, on the 31st of July 2014, he made his senior team debut for the club. On the 7th of July 2015, Emmanuel moved again, this time to Moreirense – a fellow league team to Rio Ave. However, he only started to feature regularly in his second season as the striker was reserved to a substitute role throughout his first season. He was later lured over to La Liga side Levante UD where he inked a lucrative four-year deal on the 16th of August 2017.
Boateng is currently playing with Dalian Professional in the Chinese Super League and according to reports, the deal which he signed with the club on the 20th of February 2019 will be fetching him a total of €3 million per year.
Emmanuel Boateng is part and parcel of the Ghana National team. In 2015, he was in New Zealand as part of the FIFA U-20 World Cup playing with the Ghana under-20 football team. He joined the Black Stars of Ghana on the 30th of May 2018, marking his debut with a goal scored through penalty. Emmanuel is still part of his home country’s national and his name appeared in the current call-up list
Notable Mentions List of the Richest Ghanaian Football Players Recently Retired and About to Retire
1. Stephen Appiah
Stephen Appiah played active football from 1995 to 2010. His net worth is currently pegged at $1-$5 million. The former midfielder played for clubs like Udinese, Juventus, Parma, and Bologna in Italy. He also played for the Turkish Super League side Fenerbahce. Some of the trophies he won in his career include 1996–97 Ghana Premier League; 1996 Ghanaian FA Cup; 2001–02 Coppa Italia; 2003 Supercoppa Italiana; 2006–07 Süper Lig; and 2007 Turkish Super Cup.
As an international, Appiah served as the captain of the Ghana national team. He played 67 times for the team and scored 15 goals. His exploits for the side earned him the Ghana Footballer of the Year award on two occasions.
2. Sulley Muntari
Another fantastic win. Grande partita pic.twitter.com/gaHUYldsQB
— Sulley Muntari (@MuntariOfficial) September 1, 2013
Sulley Muntari is currently without a club but as of 2012, the Ghanaian footballer was earning a tidy $1.5 million as annual remuneration and as for his net worth, it was last pegged at $22 million. He earns a place on this notable mentions list of the richest football players in Ghana as a result of the lucrative contracts he signed with clubs in England and other rich European teams. During this time, the midfielder won trophies such as FA Cup, Serie A twice, Supercoppa Italiana twice, FIFA Club World Cup 2010, UEFA Champions League 2010.
On the international scene, Muntari earned more than 80 caps for his home country. Ghana shortlisted him for three FIFA World Cups and two Africa Cup of Nations.
3. Samuel Kuffour
Often listed among the best football players to ever come out of Ghana, Samuel Osei Kuffour is one retired Ghanaian professional central defender renowned for having great physical power. He played from 1993 to 2006 and the best of his football career was captured during his days with Bayern Munich where he put in 12 years, winning 17 major trophies in 250 appearances.
Samuel won the Ghanaian Footballer of the Year award three times and his name appeared in the Top 30 African players of all time by the Confederation of African Football. He also earned 59 caps during his time. Though he is no longer active in the field of play, his net worth was last estimated in 2021 and it came to $40 million.
4. Michael Essien
Michael Essien retired from international football in July 2018 and currently serves as a coaching staff of FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga. During his active days as a football player, Essien won a total of 52 caps, earning recognition as one of the world’s best midfielders. The highlights of his football career include winning the Ghanaian Player of the Year title in 2008, bagging the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012, and earning seven domestic cups in addition to four league titles. Essien’s most recent net worth estimation pegged it as a handsome $35 million and he has continued to earn well as a coach.
