Table of Contents
- Starting his football in journey at African Lyon, Mbwana Samatta turned professional in 2010 and then had spells at Simba SC and TP Mazembe before going to Europe where he has played across various leagues
- Samatta won the 2023-24 Super League Greece title with PAOK and also achieved success in Belgium where he won the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Super Cup with Genk
- He made history in 2015 when he became the first player from East Africa to win the African-based Player of the Year Award
Mbwana Ally Samatta is without a doubt the richest Tanzanian footballer considering his career exploits. The gifted striker has had the golden opportunity to play for some of the biggest clubs in Africa and beyond.
Starting his football in journey at African Lyon, Samatta turned professional in 2010 and then had spells at Simba SC and TP Mazembe before going to Europe where he has played across various leagues, including the English Premier League. Since the summer of 2023, he has been playing for Super League Greece side PAOK.
Samatta won the 2023-24 Super League Greece title with PAOK and also achieved success in Belgium where he won the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Super Cup with Genk. His other achievements include winning the African Inter-Club Player of the Year, Linafoot Top Scorer, Ebony Shoe and Belgian First Division A Golden Shoe.
Mbwana Samatta. Photo/ nairobinews.nation.africa.
Who Is The Richest Tanzanian Footballer?
As indicated at the start of this article, Mbwana Samatta is the richest Tanzanian footballer. While his exact net worth as of 2025 is unknown, the footballer was worth a whopping $5 million back in 2021. The Tanzanian national team captain has earned his fair share of money by playing for various top clubs in Europe.
Since starting his professional football career, Samatta has earned a gross total of $17,168,519. During the 2015-16 season, the Tanzanian forward received an annual pay of $226,576 playing for Genk. His annual earnings increased to $362,521 the following season.
During the 2018-19 season, Genk paid him a massive $781,686. Things got better for Samatta in 2019 when he was signed by Aston Villa and offered a stunning $2,792,302 pay. However, he spent just one season in England and continued with his career in Belgium where he was offered an annual salary of $5,188,579 by Genk. With such earnings, it’s not surprising that he is the richest Tanzanian footballer.
Mbwana Samatta Football Career
Mbwana Samatta began his journey in football as a youth player for African Lyon in 2008. After going through the club’s youth set-up, he secured a move to Tanzanian football giants Simba in 2010, where he quickly established himself as a top striker scoring 13 goals in 25 league matches.
Samatta’s brilliance in front of goal saw him secure a move to TP Mazembe where he evolved into one of the best forwards of the game. He had a stellar career with the Congolese side winning four consecutive Linafoot titles, two DR Congo Super Cups and on CAF Champions League.
Samatta was signed by Genk in January 2016 on a a four-and-a-half-year contract. The Tanzanian joined English Premier League side Aston Villa after the end of his time in Belgium. He signed with Fenerbahce in 2020 and had loan spells at Antwerp and Genk before joining PAOK in 2023.
Mbwana Samatta. Photo/ Sky Sports.
Samatta’s Achievements
Samatta made history in 2015 when he became the first player from East Africa to win the African-based Player of the Year Award while playing for Congo’s TP Mazembe. The Tanzanian was the top goalscorer in the CAF Champions League that season as he helped his team win the title.
His goalscoring prowess landed him in Belgium where he went on to win the Belgian Jubilee League with Genk. He crowned his amazing 2018-19 season by winning the Ebony Shoe Award. It was during his time with Genk that he made history by becoming the first Tanzanian to score in the UEFA Champions League when he scored against Liverpool.
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While there are several East Africans who have played in Europe, few boast the same success as Samatta. The Taifa Stars captain deserves a seat up there with the likes of Kenya’s Victor Wanyama, McDonald Mariga and Dennis Oliech.
