Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria and there is no denying it. However, if you are a die-hard fan, you will know that player salaries do not exactly follow that popularity, at least in 2024. As one of the biggest clubs in the country, Kano Pillars offers some of the best salaries in Nigeria. League. Still, it’s nothing special considering they’ve made a few trips to the AFC here and there.
One thing that keeps fans guessing is how much Kano Pillars players earn, and we’re here to help you find out. We will delve into Nigerian football as a whole and give you a rough estimate based on our findings. Stick around for a full review.
About the pillars of Kano
Kano Pillars is one of the most popular football clubs in all of Nigeria and began its journey at the professional level in 1990. So far, they have been crowned state champions four times, the first time in the 2007/2008 season. season.
Over that time, there have been several Kano Pillars players who made it to the big leagues, such as Ahmed Musa who played for Leicester City in the EPL. However, the profits in Nigerian football are quite lower compared to the top European or even Asian leagues.
So, the big question arises about the salary of Kano Pillars players as they are, after all, among the most popular clubs in the country. In fact, it is the fifth club with the most titles in Nigeria, and the last one was in the 2014/2015 season. So, one could assume that his earnings are also in the top flight of Nigerian football, and we will put that to the test here.
Kano Pillars Squad 2024/2025
To understand the earnings of this club, we must first consider the Kano Pillars player roster for 2024. According to Transfermarkt as one of the main sources of football team values, the Kano Pillars Squad 2024/2025 It’s worth a little more than $500,000.
However, that’s mainly because there are a lot of experienced players here, starting with the one you’re probably most interested in. The team’s captain, Rabiu Ali, 44, was reported to earn around $1,900 a month.
Since then, the team’s press officer has gone out of his way to say that it is exaggerated and that the team has no players on the payroll with a weekly salary of more than NGN 800,000.
Other experienced players include goalkeeper Bassey Akpan, 40, as well as Ibrahim Iddrisu and Abdullahi Shehu. So, we could say that the youngest are the ones who reach close to that 800,000 NGN mark.
Estimated Default Earnings
To understand the situation behind the salary of Kano Pillars players and Nigerian football as a whole, the Nigerian Premier League As a whole it is the best starting point. We have done some research and found that most NPL clubs offer maximum salaries of NGN 380,000 to NGN 480,000 to their best players.
Of course, the top clubs are a little more rewarding and offer salaries ranging between NGN 680,000 and NGN 800,000 to their best players. Apart from Kano Pillars, these also include clubs such as Remo Stars, Rivers United and Enyimba. Based on this, we are sure that no Kano Pillars player earns more than that figure of NGN 800,000 as salary.
It is a well-known story in Africa, since sports salaries are not as high as in Asia, Europe or America. You can more or less compare the earnings of the Rising stars in Zimbabwe athletics with Nigerian football players and get an accurate description. Of course, modernization and online betting will surely soon have a positive impact on the salary structure.
Player Salaries at Kano Pillars
We are now approaching the particular salary range at this club and to do so we have considered the full list of Kano Pillars players and their earnings. Last year, an investigation showed that Gambo Mohammed, the club’s former striker, used to have a monthly salary of NGN 850,000.
It is said to be the highest salary the club has ever paid to a given payer, despite rumors that Rabiu Ali will receive much more, up to the amount of NGN 1.2 million per month. Another clue to calculating the estimated earnings of Kano Pillars players is the verdict in favor of Bassey Akpan after unpaid salaries.
It happened in 2023, and the Nigerian Players’ Status and Referee Committee ordered the Club to pay the goalkeeper a total amount of NGN 11.8 million. In other words, that was his 13-month salary, so he received approximately NGN 900,000 per month.
Salary structure in the NPL
Now you know that the average salary in Nigerian football clubs is somewhat low, between NGN 150,000 and NGN 200,000. Of course, there are the higher-paid players who push the average to around NGN 380,000 or a little more, but it’s nothing too spectacular considering current football incomes.
Of course, that’s just the raw amount, so top players can earn up to NGN 1.2 million through bonuses and performance rewards. At least that was reported to be Rabiu Ali’s monthly paycheck back in the day, and it is still among the highest amounts paid to an NPL player.
We know that it is still far from the top 10 leagues in the world, or even the top 30 leagues right now. However, it should be known that until recently the NPL was considered one of the amateur leagues in Africa. Kano Pillars in particular were among those to break that status when they qualified for their first African Champions League main draw, having eliminated the much more famous Al Ahly Cairo to qualify.
These days, sponsorship deals are gaining ground, so hopefully we’ll soon see much higher salaries for NPL players. Betting sponsors like Eunisell and Bet9ja are among the main ones, while you can also find NPL at major bookmakers. For example, you can simply press the button Hollywood Betting Registry to get all NPL options in one place. With those sponsorships, the league should finally get the recognition and growth it deserves.
Final thoughts
So, now you know a little more about the main Kano Pillars players and their salaries for the 2024/2025 season. While salary levels are likely to stay that way for the next season as well, things don’t look as bleak for the next few years.
With more and more sponsorship deals outside Nigeria, young and prospective NPL players can expect some pay rises very soon. And, at least, things are not looking so bad for the older players either, as could be seen with the example of Rabiu Ali.
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