Over the years, several footballers with African roots have chosen to represent European countries instead of the African nations they were also eligible to play for.
These players have gone on to establish themselves as world-class stars and have impressed with their performances in Europe, which has also seen their market values rise significantly.
Here are five of the most valuable footballers who could have played for an African country.
Kylian Mbappe (€200 million)
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe tops this list with a market value of €200 million, which also makes him the second most valuable footballer in the world behind Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland on €220 million.
Mbappe was born to a Cameroonian father and a French-Algerian mother and was eligible to play for Cameroon.
However, he opted to play for France where he was born and has gone ahead to enjoy a remarkable career with Les Bleus, becoming the country’s all-time record goalscorer and also helping them win one FIFA World Cup title.
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Desire Doue (€120 million)
PSG winger Desire Doue closely follows Mbappe on this list in second place and is valued at €120 million. The 21-year-old was born to an Ivorian father and a French mother and was eligible to represent both France and Ivory Coast.
While his brother Guela Doue opted to represent the African side, the younger Doue opted to play for France, where he was born.
He has since represented the former world champions on several occasions, helping them finish second at the 2024 Paris Olympics games, while they also finished fourth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
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Rayan Cherki (€120 million)
Another player who played for an European side instead of an African country, Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki appears next on this list with a market value of €110 million. The 23-year-old had parents who were of Algerian descent and could have also represented Italy.
However, he chose to play for France and made his debut for the senior side in 2025 and has since gone on to play 18 competitive times for them, scoring three goals.
He also featured at the 2024 Paris Olympics and also at the World Cup earlier in the year.
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Bukayo Saka (€110 million)
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka appears next on this list with a market value of €110 million which puts him as the fourth most valuable footballer who could have represented an African country.
The 25-year-old was born in Ealing, London, to Yoruba Nigerian parents.
Saka represented England at different youth levels, before making his debut for the senior side in 2020and he was a key part of the squad that finished second at the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, while they also finished with a bronze medal at the 2026 World Cup tournament
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Bradley Barcola (€100 million)
Liverpool superstar Bradley Barcola completes this list with a market value of €100 million.
The 24-year-old was born to a Togolese father and a French mother and could have played for the African country.
While his brother Malcolm plays for the Sparrowhawks, Bradley represented France at different youth levels before making his debut for the senior national side in 2024 and played a starring role in attack as they finished fourth in the World Cup earlier this year.
