Page 10 - LionKing

BUSINESS
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All these athletes have not only done their households proud with their laudable feats in the world of sports, but indeed their respective home countries and the continent of Africa as a whole and thanks to them, sports have become, beyond the medals, a mine for a new kind of gold
Togo. During his playing days in England,
he signed some highly lucrative deals with some of the biggest English clubs including Manchester City, Arsenal and cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC. He was also
a former African Player of the Year and reportedly has a net-worth of $45million.
Michael Essien (Ghana) – Ghanaian football star Michael Essien was renowned for his highly energetic defensive and offensive play and hard tackles which earned him the nick-name “The Bison”. He played for top European clubs like Lyon, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan. His current net-worth is estimated at $35million.
Other top fooballers like Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) and Mikel Obi (Nigeria) are also recognised on the top 10 list.
Whilst footballers get most of the mention when it comes to sports, football is not the only sport that has favoured the African continent. Countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and Morocco have made Africa proud
in the area of long distance track and field. Some of African greats in the area of sports include Kipchoge Keino (Kenya)
who holds two Olympic Gold Medals in the 1,500-meter event as well as several world records and is one of the greatest African athletes of all time. Another great African pride is Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) who
is widely regarded as one of the greatest runners in the world. His career, marked by many successes, documents innumerable victories.
In 1997, Gebrselassie achieved a new world record in Stuttgart, as well as others in Stockholm and Oslo. He won a second gold medal during the Sydney Olympics before breaking the world records of prestigious marathons in 2007 (Berlin Marathon) and 2008 (Dubai Marathon).
Other greats include Said Aouita (Morocco) also known as “The man with the five records,” an undisputed master
in the eighties of the middle-distance
from 800 metres to 5,000 metres, Hicham
El Guerrouj (Morocco), the 1995 world champion in Gothenburg, Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia), named the worthy successor of the Ethiopian master, Haile Gebrselassie, and Paul Tergat (Kenya) a distance runner, and marathon world record-holder from
2003 to 2007.
How can one mention African sports without touching on names like Maria Mutola (Mozambique), also known as the Maputo Express, Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigerian NBA hall of famer), George Weah (Liberia) who, from sportsman
to President, is considered by many as Africa’s greatest football export ever.
All these athletes have not only done their households proud with their laudable feats in the world of sports, but indeed their respective home countries and the continent of Africa as a whole and thanks to them, sports have become, beyond the medals, a mine for a new kind of gold and, though more needs to be done, are being given the appropriate attention in African societies.
10 | The Lion King | April - June 2019