The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is a momentous event – as the first ever World Cup held on African soil, it has the potential to reshape global perceptions of an entire continent and rekindle hope in millions of people.
It also serves as the long-overdue recognition of Africa’s enormous contribution to modern football (read:soccer) and as such is one of the most historically significant sporting events of the last several decades. As teams from every continent ready themselves for their journey to Africa, where Football has long since become a way of life, and where the eyes of the entire world will be fixed upon them, they must surely feel that they are embarking on a world-changing adventure that will leave an indelible mark on sporting history.
In celebration of African football, The Atlanta Post has compiled a list of eight of the highest paid and most prominent football players of African heritage, whose drive and dedication to the sport have made the 2010 World Cup in South Africa possible.
8. Yaya Toure
Country: Ivory Coast
Club: Barcelona
Age: 27
Earning: $3.7 million
Toure’s titanic stature and gushing energy combine to make him one of the best midfielders in modern football. His career with Barcelona is soon to come to an end. Although Toure was looking to join Premier League side Manchester City, at last check, he appears to be in limbo and his post-summer plans are still undecided.
7. Patrice Evra
Country: France
Club Team: Manchester United
Position: Defender
Age: 29
Earnings: $4 million
With Guinean heritage, a Senegalese birth, and France nationality, Patice Evra is one of Manchester United’s gems and considered one of the best left backs in the world. Evra has seen his career blossom in the past decade, ironically due to injuries he suffered in 2000 while playing for Nice. He was pushed off offense and into defense with the left back position and has excelled ever since. At his first World Cup, Evra is captioning the French team and has already made headlines, claiming that he has received flack from Senegalese nationals over his decision to play for France, telling the press that “I was called a monkey who grovels before the white man and labeled a money-obsessed traitor to the nation.”
6. Maicon Douglas Sisenando
Country: Brazil
Club Odds To Win World Cup: Very Good
Club: Internazionale aka Inter Milan
Age: 28
Earnings:$5.4 million
A rising superstar on the Brazilian football arena, Maicon has made a name for himself as a solid, reliable player whose primary affinity is for the defensive game. A back-field powerhouse, Maicon lacks the impetuousness of some of the more glory-minded players and provides steady support on which his team-mates can always count. When the situation calls for it, though, he does not back down from taking the fight to the other side of the field where he is perfectly capable of showing all challengers that he is not a one-trick pony.
5. Nicolas Anelka
Country: France
Club: Chelsea
Age: 31
Earnings: $5.8 million Endorsements: Puma
A world-class all-rounder, Nicolas Anelka has shown tremendous potential as a striker, but it is his infamous personality that has played the most visible role in shaping his reputation – known to be moody and inconsistent on the field, he has seen more transfers than almost any other FIFA player. His potential is undeniable, but his erratic temper ultimately results in his overall performance being a disappointment. In the end, Anelka has to rein in his ego, if he hopes to stay in the game for long.
4. Ashley Cole
Country: England
Club: Chelsea
Age: 29
Earnings: $6.6 million
Ashley Cole is perhaps better known for his scandalous personal life than for his prowess on the field, but that does not mean that he should be disregarded altogether – a solid back of the field player, his game is robust and workmanlike, and the lack of publicity surrounding him is more an indicator of his commitment to his duties on the field than of some perceived lack of skill. Ashley Cole might not be glamorous, but players like him are the glue holding teams together.
3. Didier Drogba
Country: Ivory Coast
Club: Chelsea
Club Odds To Win World Cup: Very Good
Age: 31
Earnings: $6.6 million Endorsements: Pepsi; Nike.
Older than most of his fellow players, Drogba was late to the international football arena league. Undaunted by this handicap, he has gone on to make a name for himself — the Ivorian striker’s performance has been invariably solid. It wasn’t until Chelsea signed him for $37 million that he garnered any attention from the wider public, but his relative obscurity is in no way indicative of a lack of skill. Viewed as one of the most promising African football players, he joined Essien in signing a major endorsement deal with Puma.
2. Thierry Henry
Country: France
Club: Barcelona
Club Odds To Win World Cup: Average
Age: 32
Earnings: Annual salary plus bonus: $6.2 million, Other income: $6.2 million ($12.4 million total) Endorsements: Pepsi, Gilette, Reebok
Thierry Henry’s career as a goal-scorer has seen a meteoric rise since his induction into Arsenal in 1999, earning him recognition as one of the most prominent forwards in the world, including many prestigious awards. Possessed of uncommon speed and agility, Henry has demonstrated his impressive scoring skills time and time again with every club he played for. Despite the controversy surrounding Henry’s propensity for using his hand to set up a goal, he remains one of the brightest stars in football and one of the most marketable as evinced by his steady stream of endorsement deals.
1. Samuel Eto’o
Country: Cameroon
Club: Inter Milan
Playing Position: Striker
Age: 27
Earnings: $12. 7 million
The most decorated African player of all time, Samuel Eto’o has much to be proud of – in the wake of his team’s victory at the Africa Cup Of Nations, his performance has been consistently excellent with the two most recent clubs he played for, Barcelona and Internazionale. Eto’o refuses to compare himself to other football players, letting his vast collection of awards, including African Player of the Year for three consecutive years, speak for him. He is currently Africa’s best-paid Soccer player.
