Freetown, 18th August 2025 -Sierra Leonean football prodigy Juma Bah is set for a life-changing payday after joining Ligue 1 side OGC Nice on loan from Manchester City. According to Capology, the global football salary tracker, Bah will earn an estimated €5,385 per week, which equates to roughly €280,000 per year.
That translates to approximately Le122 million per week. On a yearly view, Bah could be banking an astounding Le5.9 billion annually, a level of compensation unheard of for a Sierra Leonean player at just 19 years old (using old Leones currency figures). Even after redenomination and fluctuating rates, the scale of his contract remains staggering.
But why does this matter? Firstly, Bah’s salary already ranks with the top third of Ligue 1’s wage structure, dwarfing the earnings of many of his Nice teammates, most of whom earn between €600,000 and €3 million annually. Secondly, few Sierra Leonean players have ever reached this level of financial reward within their first year in Europe.
And finally the economic symbolism in all of this is huge. Bah’s salary now rivals the annual budgets of small government ministries back home, highlighting sport’s power to open economic doors.
Born in April 2006 in Freetown, Bah burst onto the scene with local side AIK Freetong before his first taste of European football came with a loan to Real Valladolid B in August 2024. He made history by debuting in La Liga in a 0–0 draw against Real Sociedad, becoming the first Sierra Leonean to feature in Spain’s top flight.
In January 2025, Manchester City secured Bah’s transfer from Valladolid, triggering a €6 million release clause, then loaned him to RC Lens for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. Now, Bah heads to Nice for 2025–26, continuing his rapid ascent amidst elite competition under managers like Pep Guardiola.
At Nice, Bah aims to prove himself in a team recently qualified for the UEFA Champions League, an environment where Ligue 1 salaries averaged €1.2 million per player, with the club’s total wage bill reaching €32.8 million. On Wednesday 6th August he made his UEFA Champions League debut playing for French club OGC Nice. The match was the third qualifying round first leg against Portuguese giants Benfica, held at the Allianz Riviera stadium2.
This debut marks a major milestone in Bah’s rising career and places him among the few Sierra Leoneans to feature on Europe’s biggest football stage.
Bah’s rise sends a powerful signal to Sierra Leone’s youth. In a country struggling with high unemployment and brain-drain, his contract stands as proof of what talent, discipline and opportunity can achieve. It also underscores the potential economic uplift sport can bring to individuals and communities alike.
If Juma Bah excels in Ligue 1, his success could attract further investment in Sierra Leone’s football infrastructure and inspire a generation chasing dreams beyond the streets of Freetown.
