Most Africans footballers harbor dreams of playing in the lucrative English Premier League (EPL) or to be signed in La Liga, Ligue 1 and Italian Seria A. These leagues are attractive to professional players because they are competitive and the pay is extremely mouthwatering. This cannot be said of most African leagues that are mired in unprofessionalism and poor pay packages. Cases of players threatening-or boycotting games altogether-has been reported in Kenya and other countries in the continent. South Africa’s ABSA Premier Soccer League (PSL) is the best paying in Africa after Algeria, and a preferred choice for many players in the continent who fail to catch the eye of scouts in the European leagues. We take a look at the highest paid footballers in ABSA PSL.
According to SowetanLive, the average take home for a PSL player is R100 000 ($6968.15) per month which translates to R1.2 million ($83617) per year.
Khama Billiat-Kaizer Chiefs (R500,000 per month)
Kaizer Chief midfielder and Zimbabwe national player Khama Billiat is the highest paid footballer in PSL. His monthly pay is said to be R10 million, R833,333 per month before taxes. This amount considerably goes down after a 38% tax is imposed to the player-meaning his pay reduces to R515,000 a month (R6 million per year). The 27 year old footballer has a three year contract with Kaizer Chiefs. The player market value is placed at £1.80m by transfermarkt.co.uk.
Player Bio
Date of Birth: Aug 19, 1990
Place of Birth: Harare Zimbabwe
Age: 28
Height: 1,70 m
Citizenship: Zimbabwe Zimbabwe
South Africa South Africa
Position: Forward – Second Striker
Foot: both
Current club: Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs
Joined: Jul 1, 2018
Contract until: 30.06.2021
Contract option: club option 1 year
Outfitter: adidas
Itumeleng Khune-Kaizer Chiefs: R480 000 a month
The goalie was the highest earning player in Kaizer Chief’s until Khama was signed in the moneyed club. Sowetan reports this his monthly salary is R480,000. Khune doubles as the South African national team goalkeeper. The player captains his club and the national team.
Player Profile
Date of Birth (Age): Jun 20, 1987 (31)
Place of Birth: South AfricaVentersdorp, North …
Citizenship: South AfricaSouth Africa
Height: 1,81 m
Position: Goalkeeper
Current value of Khune: £1.13m
Teko Modise, Cape Town City – R450,000
An outstanding midfielder, Teko Modise will be soon hanging up his boots after an illustrious career at Mamelodi Sundowns and now City. The 37 year contract with his current club expires in June. He has authored The Curse of Teko Modise. He pockets a cool R450,000 per month. ‘The General’, as he is popularly known, has played an integral part in the national team Bafana Bafana.
Player Profile
Full Name: Teko Tsholofelo Modise
Date of Birth: Dec 22, 1982
Place of Birth: Soweto, Gauteng South Africa
Age: 36
Height: 1,68 m
Citizenship: South Africa South Africa
Position: Midfielder – Attacking Midfield
Foot: right
Current club: Cape Town City FC Cape Town City FC
Joined: Jul 12, 2017
Contract until: 30.06.2019
Current Market Value:
£900k
Siyanda Xulu, Maritzburg United – R350 000
He is a central defender par excellence. The 27 year old makes R350,000 per month according to Sowetanlive.
Player Profile
Date of Birth: Dec 30, 1991
Place of Birth: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa
Age: 27
Height: 1,88 m
Citizenship: South Africa South Africa
Position: Defender – Centre-Back
Foot: right
Player Agent: Siyavuma
Current club: Maritzburg United FC
Joined: Aug 3, 2017
Contract until: 30.06.2020
Current Market Value: £810k
