Club presidents in Algeria’s Ligue 1 no longer hesitate to break out the checkbook to offer golden bridges to certain players who agree to return to the country. Such is the case of Youcef Belaili, who will receive a salary of 75,000 euros from MC Alger.
Salaries start to soar again in Algeria’s Ligue 1
It’s easy to see why Algerian players aren’t reluctant to return to the Algerian Ligue 1. While some believe that European leagues are the most lucrative financially, this is not at all the case. In Africa, some leagues spend thousands of euros on footballers with international status. The transfer of Youcef Belaili speaks volumes about the exorbitant salaries paid by clubs in Algeria’s Ligue 1. Back in this league, the former Brest striker will earn 1.3 billion euros (75,000 euros) at MC Alger. A real jackpot not available to certain French Ligue 1 clubs.
After Covid-19, salaries are once again skyrocketing in Algeria. The arrival of Youcef Belaili is set to be followed by that of Rais M’Bolhi, who will once again command a record salary of 600 million centimes (40,000 euros). Before the 2010s, a salary in excess of 100 million centimes (nearly 8,000 euros at the time) was exceptional, and few players could claim it. “Today it’s a kind of minimum wage. Even a club like HB Chelghoum Laid is obliged to pay most of its players”, says DZfoot.
Tahraoui and the golden contract in 2008
However, as early as the 2008 season, one player broke the bank in Algeria’s Ligue 1. It was Abdelmadjid Tahraoui.Recruited by USM Blida from ASO Chlef, striker Abdelmadjid Tahraoui’s salary shocked the Ligue 1.The sum was 1.3 billion centimes (100,000 euros).This wage madness had cooled between 2017-2022, as a result of the economic crisis. Emoluments began to be limited to 200 million (10,000 euros) per month. But this will only last for so long. By the 2023 season, club bosses were once again pulling out the checkbook without counting the cost. The 75,000 euros offered to Belaili is a perfect illustration.
