{"id":892342,"date":"2026-03-18T02:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T07:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/africas-20-most-valuable-stars-in-2026-osimhen-lookman-join-morocco-egypt-ghana-icons\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T02:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T07:12:26","slug":"africas-20-most-valuable-stars-in-2026-osimhen-lookman-join-morocco-egypt-ghana-icons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/africas-20-most-valuable-stars-in-2026-osimhen-lookman-join-morocco-egypt-ghana-icons\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa\u2019s 20 most valuable stars in 2026: Osimhen, Lookman join Morocco, Egypt, Ghana icons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Africa\u2019s influence in global football continues to grow, with many of the continent\u2019s best players now starring for elite clubs across Europe, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The latest market value rankings released by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/spieler-statistik\/wertvollstespieler\/marktwertetop\/plus\/0\/galerie\/0?ausrichtung=alle&#038;spielerposition_id=alle&#038;altersklasse=alle&#038;jahrgang=0&#038;land_id=0&#038;kontinent_id=2&#038;jahr=0&#038;yt0=show\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transfermarkt<\/a> offer a clear snapshot of who the most valuable African footballers are in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The list features a mix of established superstars, rising young prospects and proven performers playing in the top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy. At the very top are players whose performances at club level and in major international tournaments have pushed their value into the \u20ac80 million bracket.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184170\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184170\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2025\/10\/imago1068277828-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer 2025 African Footballer of the Year Achraf Hakimi.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-184170\">2025 African Footballer of the Year: Achraf Hakimi. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Morocco full-back Achraf Hakimi leads the list with a market value of \u20ac80 million, reflecting his consistent impact for <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/psg\">Paris Saint-Germain<\/a>. Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo also carries a value of \u20ac80 million, boosted by his move to <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/man-united\">Manchester United<\/a> and his strong early performances there.<\/p>\n<p>Ghana attacker Antoine Semenyo follows closely with a market value of \u20ac75 million after his big transfer to <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/man-city\">Manchester City<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_200568\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-200568\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/IMG_20260316_125712.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Africa's most valuable stars\" width=\"1079\" height=\"1552\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-200568\">Africa&#8217;s most valuable stars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Several other players also command impressive valuations. Egypt forward Omar Marmoush is valued at \u20ac60 million, while Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus holds a value of \u20ac55 million despite injury setbacks at Tottenham Hotspur. Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba is also rated at \u20ac55 million after continuing to develop at Brighton &#038; Hove Albion.<\/p>\n<p>Further down the ranking, Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye is valued at \u20ac50 million following his steady performances for Everton, while Ivorian winger Amad Diallo also holds a \u20ac50 million valuation at Manchester United.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_194706\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-194706\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/01\/imago1071398196.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria and Hull City defender Semi Ajayi\" width=\"4256\" height=\"2832\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-194706\">Omar Marmoush, Egypt and Semi Ajayi, Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON. Photo by Segun Ogunfeyitimi Copyright: xshengolpixsxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Young defensive talent Ousmane Diomande and teenage prospect Yan Diomande are both valued at \u20ac45 million, alongside Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, who currently plays for Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n<p>Another group of players is valued at \u20ac40 million, including Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and Algeria defender Rayan A\u00eft-Nouri.<\/p>\n<p>Completing the ranking are several experienced stars valued at \u20ac35 million, including Senegal winger Isma\u00efla Sarr, Burkina Faso attacker Dango Ouattara, Burkina Faso defender Edmond Tapsoba and Morocco playmaker Brahim D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_200569\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-200569\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/03\/IMG_20260316_125753.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Africa's most valuable stars\" width=\"1079\" height=\"1356\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-200569\">Africa&#8217;s most valuable stars<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer Africa&#8217;s Best: Osimhen and Lookman fly Nigeria\u2019s flag<\/h2>\n<p>Among Africa\u2019s most valuable footballers, Nigeria\u2019s strongest representation comes from striker <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/tag\/osimhen\">Victor Osimhen<\/a> and winger Ademola Lookman.<\/p>\n<p>Osimhen, valued at \u20ac75 million, is the joint-second most valuable African player and he remains one of the continent\u2019s biggest stars. The forward has continued to impress since joining Galatasaray, producing strong performances in the UEFA Champions League while maintaining his reputation as one of the most dangerous centre-forwards on the planet.<\/p>\n<p>His performances for Nigeria&#8217;s Super Eagles have also helped reinforce his reputation, particularly during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations where he was one of the standout players.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_194616\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-194616\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.soccernet.ng\/main\/2026\/01\/imago1070958567-1.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen\" width=\"5000\" height=\"3364\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-194616\">Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen. Photo by Thor Wegner DeFodi Images\/IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lookman, valued at \u20ac35 million, has also continued to grow in importance. Since moving to Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, the winger has shown his ability to create chances and influence matches from wide attacking areas.<\/p>\n<p>During the AFCON tournament, Lookman emerged as Nigeria\u2019s most creative attacking outlet as the Super Eagles finished third. His performances at both club and international level have helped maintain his strong market value.<\/p>\n<p>Both Osimhen and Lookman will likely be top contenders when voting opens later in the year for the Africa Footballer of the Year award. <\/p>\n<p>Morocco&#8217;s Achraf Hakimi is the reigning Africa Best after picking up his first honour last year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/03\/africas-osimhen-lookman-egypt-ghana.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Africa\u2019s influence in global football continues to grow, with many of the continent\u2019s best players now starring for elite clubs across Europe, Soccernet.ng reports. The latest market value rankings released by Transfermarkt offer a clear snapshot of who the most valuable African footballers are in 2026. The list features a mix of established superstars, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":892344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30283,2005,23774],"tags":[17478,11613],"class_list":["post-892342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africas","category-soccer","category-valuable","tag-africas","tag-valuable"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}