Jeremiah Ajayi
Today, playing football is an excellent way to succeed financially. We can even claim that this sport has grown into a multibillion-dollar enterprise where football players are entitled to great cash rewards.
Footballers have continually come out as condescending and intellectually immature.
Some of them, though, don’t respond to these pleasantries. These athletes have managed to juggle their careers with advanced degrees and coveted certifications. Here are top five (5) African footballers in terms of academic achievement.
- Seyi Olofinjana
Olofinjana started his professional career with local teams Crown and Kwara United before heading to Europe with SK Brann. He transferred to the English team Wolverhampton Wanderers after spending two seasons at Brann. He established himself as a fixture at Molineux, making 213 appearances for the team over the course of four seasons, before joining Premier League club Stoke City for a cost of £3 million in August 2008. He only participated in the 2008–09 season with the group before moving on to Hull City, another Premier League team, for a sum of £3 million.
The brilliant Nigerian defensive midfielder has successfully completed school and played professional football at the same time. He does, after all, have a master’s in chemical engineering. Furthermore, he will shortly complete the requirements for an underwater engineering license. His career as a football player is not very long-lasting, thus it is important to consider his future.
- Jean-Alain Boumsong
Frenchman Jean-Alain Boumsong Somkong, born on December 14, 1979, was a former professional defender. Before transferring to AJ Auxerre in 2000, he started his senior career in 1997 with the French club Le Havre. He was transferred to Rangers in 2004 as a result of his success at Auxerre. He signed with Newcastle United after one season and played there for two. He joined Juventus in 2006 after the team had just been demoted to Serie B and helped the team get back into Serie A.
In 2008, he traveled back to France with Lyon. Before calling it quits on his career in 2013, he spent his final stint with Greek Super League club Panathinaikos. He appeared in 27 games and scored 1 goal for France’s national team between 2003 and 2009.
The Cameroonian defender is intelligent and has a sharp mind. Indeed, he went on to earn a DEUG in mathematics after earning his baccalaureate. In particular, this helped him secure a job as a consultant for the Bein Sport channel.
- N’Golo Kanté
N’Golo Kanté, a center midfielder for Premier League team Chelsea and the France national team, was born on March 29, 1991, in France. Kanté, who is regarded by many as one of the best midfielders in the world, is highly regarded for his work ethic and defensive prowess.
With Boulogne, Kanté made his senior professional debut in 2012, entering as a replacement in one Ligue 2 game. The following year, he spent the full season in the third tier. He then joined Caen of Ligue 2 for free, finished third, and was promoted to Ligue 1. He spent another year as a member of the club. Kanté paid £5.6 million to join Leicester City in 2015.
The brilliant midfielder, who is of Malian descent, is equally dedicated to his academic work because he holds a BTS in Accounting. Even on the field, the player demonstrates exceptional intelligence by applying the essential defensive strategies to help his team win games.
- Romelu Lukaku
A striker for Serie A club Inter Milan while on loan from Premier League club Chelsea and the Belgium national team, Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli was born on May 13, 1993.
With Anderlecht, where he won the Belgian Pro League championship and finished as the league’s leading scorer, Lukaku made his professional club debut.
He originally signed for Chelsea in 2011 for £10 million (€12 million), but due to insufficient playing time, he was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion and Everton. In 2014, Lukaku moved to Everton for a then-club-record fee of £28 million (€32 million), and he eventually finished the season as the second-highest goal scorer in the league.
The striker, who is of Congolese descent, has a degree in tourism and public relations. He can speak English, Dutch, French, Spanish, Lingala, and Italian, among other languages.
- Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily, an ex-professional footballer from Ivory Coast who played as a striker, was born on March 11, 1978. He is the Ivory Coast national team’s all-time leading scorer and former captain. He is best renowned for his time spent playing for Chelsea, where he has accumulated more goals than any other foreign player and presently ranks fourth all-time in the club’s history. In a poll of 20,000 Chelsea fans held by Chelsea FC Magazine in 2012, Drogba was declared the club’s greatest-ever player.
In 2020, Chelsea supporters selected him for their team of the 2010-2020 decade. He is regarded as one of the all-time finest African athletes.
The storied Ivorian striker has always desired to complete his education before focusing solely on football. He ultimately chose to major in accounting in order to become a chartered accountant.
