Pele memorably mentioned an African nation would win the World Cup earlier than the 12 months 2000.
We’re nonetheless ready for that one to return true, however the nice Brazilian’s wider level in regards to the continent producing higher gamers did come to fruition.
Africa has constantly produced among the best footballers to play the sport for the reason that flip of the millennium. Some have moved for big switch charges, however who’s the most costly?
Who’s the most costly African participant of all time?
Nicolas Pepe is at the moment the most costly African participant in historical past – having held the file since 2019.
That’s right down to his £72million switch to Arsenal from Lille. Sadly for the Gunners, Pepe did not precisely show a hit and left the Emirates Stadium on a free switch final 12 months. At worldwide stage, Pepe has represented Ivory Coast on 47 events, serving to them win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023.
Who held the all time file switch price for an African participant earlier than Pepe?
Previous to Pepe’s transfer for big cash, it was a north African holding the title of the continent’s most costly footballer.
A 12 months earlier than Pepe moved to Arsenal, Riyad Mahrez signed for Manchester Metropolis, who paid Leicester Metropolis £60million for his providers.
Metropolis broke their membership file to signal Mahrez, who later moved to Al-Ahli for £30million.
One other Premier League switch had beforehand held the file price, with Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transferring to Arsenal for £56million six months earlier in January 2018.
| Rank | Value | Participant | From | To |
| 1 | £72m | Nicholas Pepe | Lille | Arsenal |
| 2 | £60m | Riyad Mahrez | Leicester Metropolis | Manchester Metropolis |
| 3 | £58m | Achraf Hakimi | Inter Milan | PSG |
| 4 | £56m | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Borussia Dortmund | Arsenal |
| 5 | £49m | Naby Keita | RB Leipzig | Liverpool |
| 6 | £41m | Victor Osimhen | Lille | Napoli |
| 7 | £40m | Mo Salah | Fiorentina | Liverpool |
| 8 | £38m | Sadio Mane | Southampton | Liverpool |
| 9 | £34m | Hakim Ziyech | Ajax | Chelsea |
| 10 | £33.5m | Cedric Bakambu | Villarreal | Beijing Guoan |