$ 8 750 per week, $1 250 per day or $52 an hour
By Fanuel Viriri
Zimbabwe international forward Knowledge Musona put pen to paper on a two-and-half year contract with Belgian Pro League side KV Oostende that made him the highest-paid football player in the country on $35 000 monthly salary translating to $420 000 a year.
Musona joined the Belgian side in late December after failing to make the grade at the Germany Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim. The former Kaizer Chiefs man assumed duty at KV Oostende a fortnight ago and announced his arrival at the club with a brace in an international club friendly on January 8 is on a weekly pay of $8 750, according to official figures released by Sporting Intelligence, making him the highest local footballer showcasing his talent on the globe.
Even by the madness of football salaries, Musona’s weekly pay packet is a staggering sum of money. The 25 year-old sensation is expected to earn $420 000 this year for playing football at KV Oostende and his earnings breakdown to an eye-watering figure by any standards, he pockets $1 250 a day, $52 an hour or 87 cents per minute. He will pocket a princely $910 000 at the end of his two- -and-half year contract.
The Sporting Intelligence survey put the Belgian Pro League as the 16th highest paying league on the planet although it does not come close to Germany Bundesliga where Musona plied his trade with TSG Hoffenheim, but could not make the grade this season and the club offered to loan him to KV Oostende.
According to the survey, Musona could have been earning $42 000 a week at TSG Hoffenheim in the Germany top-flight league that is ranked the second highest paying league on the globe. The survey said the highest paying league in Africa is the Algeria Ligue 1 which is ranked 28th on the globe and players earn $3 060 per week. The Absa Premiership, South Africa where Musona once dazzled at Kaizer Chiefs is reported to have an average weekly salary of $1 484, 55 per week or $40 000 per month. Several Zimbabwean players turn out for South African Premiership clubs.
The league is ranked the 33rd highest paying league in the world but is the second highest paying league on the continent. This probably explains why Musona’s agents Prosport International were against Musona moving back to South Africa before finally inking a contract with the Belgian side.
While Musona can be termed rich by any standards, the Norton-born player could have been stinking rich had he made the grade at TSG Hoffenheim. The average weekly pay at the club is $42 611, 31 while some top players can earn more depending on their value to the club. The average yearly salary for TSG Hoffenheim players is pegged at $2, 15 million each year.
Some of the European clubs where Zimbabwean players are playing were not part of the survey as their leagues are minor on the globe. The next European destination where locals are making good money is the Denmark’s SuperLiga ranked 20th best paying league in the world and players take home an average weekly pay of $4 355,30. Zimbabwe has two players in the top Danish league Silas Songani who plays for Sonderjyske and Quincy Antipas for Hobro. The Polish Elekstraklasa which used to be a favourite destination for most Zimbabwean players is ranked 26th in the world and players in the league earn an average of $3 225, 02 each week.
Andre Gwaze is currently the only Zimbabwe playing in the Polish top-flight league and several others are in the lower divisions. The other European destinations like the Czech Republic where Costa Nhamoinesu plays are not ranked. Archford Gutu earns $2 548 per week at FF Kalmer at the Swedish league known as Allsvenskan. The league is ranked the 27th highest paying league in the world.
The highest paid footballers on the planet are in the English Premier League footballers earn £2.3million a year each on average, or £43,717 a week (or $66 503 per week). Players in Germany’s top division earn £1.46m a year on average, or £28,011 a week, with players in Italy’s Serie A next best remunerated on £1.3m a year (£25,263 a week), followed by those in Spain’s La Liga on £1.2m a year (£23,327 a week), according to the survey.
France’s Ligue 1 follows La Liga, with players averaging £988,000 a year, and then the Russian Premier League is next on £902,000 before a drop to the only other league where players earn more than £500,000 a year – Brazil’s top division where average yearly pay is £583,000.
Players in England’s Championship are next, earning £486,000 on average, a staggering sum for a second tier – and higher than most top divisions around the world. The survey considered 34 top leagues from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia.
