Footballers are rich, you can also add that they are very rich and yes! everyone will agree with you. Especially those footballers that once plied their trades in the top European Leagues as they are paid in thousands of hard foreign currency.

Sadly not all of these footballers have a happy-ending after their football careers and some of them have gone totally broke living in abject poverty.

Today at NAIJ.com, we will be taking a look at 5 African stars (in no particular order) that went totally broke after their illustrious footballing career.

1. Emmanuel Ebuoe:

Football lovers were thrown into complete pity for former Arsenal fullback Emmanuel Eboue, when news of him being broke was published by top British media. No one wanted to believe the sad story until Eboue himself gave an interview to The Mirror explaining in person how his divorce with his Belgian wife Aurélie and also a couple of bad business investment led to him being broke.

2. Wilson Oruma:

Former Super Eagles midfielder Wilson Oruma is now said to be in a status of mental disorder six years after he was reportedly defrauded by a clergyman. Oruma was one of the Nigerian football stars who made millions in the round leather game, but he was reported to have been duped by a clergyman and some fake oil businessmen.

3. Eric Djemba Djemba:

The Cameroonian that played for Manchester United had problems with how he handled money, and for this reason he ran into numerous debts to the extent that his entire £75,000 monthly pay was used in serving his debt by his agent and he was forced to live on just bonus and extra allowances.

4. Ifeanyi Udeze:


Udeze who featured in the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Nigeria and also played for top European teams in the zenith of his career was also broke at a time, as his Landlord who had lost patience with him ejected the pacy defender from a duplex apartment at 711 Road, Festac Town.

The hand of fortune however found the defender as he joined Nigeria’s foremost and authoritative Sports network Brila FM where he will forge a formidable force with the station’s team of presenters and analysts in their highly rated ‘Big Sports Breakfast Show.’

5. Mohammed Yusuf: The Super Eagles defender enjoyed a starting eleven position when late Stephen Keshi was the Head coach of the Super Eagles and he blossom in the fullback position.

His last known club is Al Hilal of Sudan and this was since 2010, however the pacy defender suffered a serious injury in the 2010 African nations cup and he has been said to be rehabilitating since. There are unconfirmed reports that Yusuf is currently based in Kano and he is very broke as he has been abandoned by the authorities.


https://sports.naija.ng/amp/1145636-5-african-stars-broke-amassing-wealth-football.html