The footballing firepower of different continents is often compared. Some will hail Europe as possessing the best players, citing Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé as epitomes of modern footballers while referencing the everlasting class of Luka Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo. Others may point to South America, discussing the outrageous talent of Vinicius Junior and Lionel Messi. Whatever side they support, with lethal attackers like Mohamed Salah and Victor Osimhen, everyone can agree that Africa is a strong contender. This has led me to the question: How do salaries differ between African and non-African players in Europe, specifically in the Premier League? To answer this, I have collected data on the salaries of footballers in the Premier League, and the results may shock you.
The total combined annual wages of the 20 teams in the Premier League in 2024 was £1,811,378,000, an undoubtedly massive amount of money, but not the subject of this article. This enormous sum is divided unequally between the top and bottom half of the league, unsurprising due to the presence of the dominant teams in the “Big Six”. The top 10 teams wrack up a whopping annual bill of £1,352,190,000 while the bottom 10 dish out a slightly humbler sum of £459,188,000 per year. This leads to average annual salary per player of £5,045,485 in the top half and only £1,752,626 for teams 11 to 20.
Like the disparity between players in the top and bottom halves, there is a disparity between the salaries of Africans and non-Africans. The average salary of a non-African Premier League player is £3,417,694, while the salary of the average African player is £2,785,707, leading to a difference of £631,987. The median salaries continue this trend as the values for all Premier League players and African players come in at £2,350,00 and £2,080,000 respectively, the difference being £270,000. Additionally, the total sum of £114,214,000 for Africans in the Premier League makes up 6.3% of the total wages, while African players make up 7.6% of all players.
What if we do not include Africans in the “average player wage” data set? In that case, the average player in the Premier League—excluding Africans—earns £3,470,683 per year, thus increasing the difference to £684,976 between Africans and non-Africans. As a percentage, this is a 19.7% discount for teams on the salaries of African players. Are Africans 19.7% less skilful than Europeans, South Americans, or Asians? When I turn on the television, there is no discernible difference to me.
19.7% is an infuriating difference, and it only gets worse. How about we remove Mohamed Salah from our data? With an annual salary of £18,200,000, he is the definition of an outlier, not to say that watching him blaze down the right wing does not explain this massive number. Excluding Salah from our data reduces the average salary of African players down to £2,400,350. This gives us a new discount of 30.8% on the salaries of African players. Even if a person felt like a 20% discount was reasonable, they surely cannot justify this. Just from excluding one player–albeit a phenomenal player–the discount has become ridiculous. Additionally, and unfortunately for all football fans, Salah is no longer a youngster and his farewell from the Premier League is approaching. Doesn’t that make this the reality hidden in plain sight?
Africans can play football. I, along with billions of others, understand that as a factual statement. So, what explains this difference in salary? It has to do with development. In European countries, native players are valued in the way they should be. They are not better; they just have agents and governments who advocate for them and protect them. I use the word “just” because I see this as a basic right for all footballers. The solution is for African governments to invest money into our sports economy. Once we have strong local leagues that put Africans in the spotlight, “30.8% discount” will seem like a distant memory and not our reality.
