Karekezi is among top most paid in Africa

Amavubi and APR skipper has for a second year running been named among the elite and most paid footballers on the African continent.Karekezi is ranked 43rd by on the continent according to Jeuneafrique.com which released the report recently. The former Osters IF striker and current lead top scorer in the Primus National Football league is reported to be earning an annual salary worth 55,600 Euros (Rwf. 43,9m).Last year while still in Sweden, Karekezi was rated by soccerlens.com as the country’s highest paid footballer with an annual net salary of $52,000 (Rwf30.9m).In Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o, Africa boasts one of the highest paid football players in the world.The former Barcelona and Inter Milan star negotiated a contract worth $26m to play in Dagestan, Russia, thus satisfying the ego of billionaire Suleyman Kerimov.But Eto’o and the last person on the list, Chadian footballer Betoligar with an annual income of $21.757, are worlds apart.Eto’O earns a 20 million Euros and is followed by Manchester City and Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure on 14.05m Euros.The top ten is comprised of other footballers such as Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor (10.6m euros), Frederic Kanoute of Seville in Spain, Christopher Samba of Anji Makhatchkala, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien of Chelsea.Sudan’s NBA star Luol Deng, who plays for Chicago Bulls stands at 9.5m euros, Senegal’s Sesagana Diop, who features for Charlotte Bobcats is on sixth place with 5.3m euros while Tanzania’s Haseem Thabeet of Houston Rockets stands on tenth position with 3.9m euros respectively.Burundi’s Saidi Ntibazinkiza, who plays for Cracovie in Poland, is ranked 38t. He earns an annual net salary worth 243,000 euros; coming behind Eritrean and Ethiopian Zernsenay Tadesse and Tilahun Regassa in athletics who are earning 263,000 and 246,000 euros respectively.Argentine profesisonal footballer Lionel Messi is the current world’s highest paid footballer, followed by England’s David Beckham and Portugal’s Christiano Ronaldo according to France Football magazine. The Barcelona talisman Messi earns some 33 million euros ($43.5m) a year with a 10.5-million-euro, 1.5 million euros in bonuses and 21 million euros in advertising and other contracts.