After recovering from injury, defender Gideon Mensah has emerged as a crucial figure for AJ Auxerre, a club that recently returned to the top flight of French football. Since the return of this Ghanaian defensive leader, the team has been actively accumulating points. The club is undoubtedly pleased to have extended the player’s contract on improved terms earlier in the autumn.
What is Gideon Mensah’s Salary at Auxerre?
The Ghanaian national team defender joined the French club in the summer of 2022. Despite some inconsistent performances, he signed a contract extension in October 2024, keeping him at the club until June 30, 2026. Over these two years, Mensah will earn €1,500,000, excluding bonuses. For the 2024/25 season, he will receive €750,000, which equates to €14,423 per week.
|
Annual Salary |
€ 750,000 |
12,481,673 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
Monthly Salary |
€ 62,500 |
1,040,139 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
Weekly Salary |
€ 14,423 |
240,031 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
Daily Salary |
€ 2,060 |
34,283 Ghanaian Cedis |
Team Salary Overview: Mensah Ranks Among the Top Five Highest-Paid Ghanaians in Ligue 1
Mensah is among the top five highest-paid Ghanaian players in the league. For the 2024/25 season, Auxerre’s total wage expenditure amounts to €17,580,000 or €338,077 per week.
The club’s highest-paid player is midfielder Hamed Junior Traore, an Ivory Coast international on loan from Bournemouth, earning €2,730,000 annually or €52,500 per week.
In comparison, Gideon Mensah ranks seventh in terms of salary at the club, making him the fifth highest-paid foreign player at Auxerre. The next group of players earns €30,000 less than him. Additionally, Mensah is the third highest-paid African footballer at Auxerre.
|
Player |
Country |
Annual Salary (EUR) |
|
Hamed Junior Traore |
Cote d’Ivoire |
€ 2,730,000 |
|
Ki-Jana Hoever |
Netherlands |
€ 2,500,000 |
|
Ado Onaiwu |
Japan |
€ 840,000 |
|
Sinaly Diomande |
Cote d’Ivoire |
€ 820,000 |
|
Gideon Mensah |
Ghana |
€ 750,000 |
Furthermore, Mensah ranks fourth among the highest-paid Ghanaian players in Ligue 1, just ahead of his teammate Elisha Owusu and AS Saint-Étienne midfielder Augustine Boakye, who both earn €30,000 less than him.
|
Player |
Country |
Club |
Annual Salary (EUR) |
|
Mohammed Salisu |
Ghana |
AS Monaco FC |
€ 3,100,000 |
|
Ernest Nuamah |
Ghana |
Olympique Lyonnais |
€ 2,720,000 |
|
Andre Ayew |
Ghana |
Le Havre AC |
€ 1,820,000 |
|
Alidu Seidu |
Ghana |
Stade Rennais F.C. |
€ 800,000 |
|
Gideon Mensah |
Ghana |
AJ Auxerre |
€ 750,000 |
|
Elisha Owusu |
Ghana |
AJ Auxerre |
€ 720,000 |
|
Augustine Boakye |
Ghana |
AS Saint-Etienne |
€ 720,000 |
Career Salary Comparison
Gideon Mensah began integrating into FC Red Bull Salzburg’s first team during the 2017/18 season, leading to a significant salary increase—approximately 4.5 times his previous earnings. This figure remained steady throughout his loan at SK Sturm Graz.
In the 2019/20 season, he signed a loan agreement with a Belgian club, nearly doubling his earnings. However, his salary dropped by 1.5 times during his next loan spell, before rebounding when he moved to France.
After signing his initial contract with AJ Auxerre, Mensah received a €70,000 salary increase. His new contract in 2024 then doubled his salary once again, marking the highest earnings of his career.
|
Club |
Salary Euro per Year (EUR) |
Salary Ghanaian Cedi per Year (GHS) |
|
AJ Auxerre (2024/2025) |
€ 750,000 |
12,481,673 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
AJ Auxerre (2022/2024) |
€ 420,000 |
6,989,737 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
FC Girondins de Bordeaux (2021/2022) |
€ 350,000 |
5,824,781 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
Vitoria S.C.(2020/2021) |
€ 230,000 |
3,827,713 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
S.V. Zulte Waregem (2019/2020) |
€ 350,000 |
5,824,781 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
FC Liefering/SK Sturm Graz (2017/2019) |
〜€ 200,328 |
〜3,333,905 Ghanaian Cedis |
|
FC Liefering (2016/2017) |
〜€ 45,700 |
〜760,550 Ghanaian Cedis |
Market Value: Rise After Joining Auxerre
After spending 2.5 seasons in Austria’s second division, Mensah’s market value increased fourfold. During his half-season loan at SK Sturm Graz, his value more than doubled.
His strong performances in the Belgian league—where he registered three assists and debuted for the Ghanaian national team—led to a 3.5-fold increase in his market value. However, his transfer value dropped by €500,000 during his loan at Vitória S.C..
At Girondins de Bordeaux, inconsistent playing time caused another €300,000 decline in his market value. Despite frequent injuries at Auxerre, he retained his starting role, leading to a 1.5-fold increase in value.
Currently, Transfermarkt estimates his market value at €3.5 million, making him the fifth-highest valued player at Auxerre.
|
Club |
Year |
Market Value |
|
AJ Auxerre |
2024 |
€ 3,500,000 |
|
AJ Auxerre |
2023 |
€ 2,500,000 |
|
FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
2022 |
€ 2,200,000 |
|
Vitoria S.C. |
2021 |
€ 2,500,000 |
|
S.V. Zulte Waregem |
2020 |
€ 3,000,000 |
|
SK Sturm Graz |
2019 |
€ 900,000 |
|
FC Liefering |
2018 |
€ 400,000 |
|
FC Liefering |
2017 |
€ 300,000 |
|
FC Liefering |
2016 |
€ 100,000 |
Achievements with the National Team
Gideon Mensah made his debut for Ghana’s senior national team in the autumn of 2019. Since then, he has represented his country in three major tournaments: the Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup. Unfortunately, the Ghanaian team was unable to advance beyond the group stage in each of these tournaments. However, the most successful tournament for Mensah was the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, where he played all three matches in their entirety. To date, Mensah has appeared in 29 matches for the Ghana national team, contributing 4 assists.
Football and Financial Perspectives
The 2024/2025 season began for Gideon Mensah with a knee injury. Fortunately, he returned to the squad by the end of September and has since played nearly all the matches in full, even scoring a goal. If Mensah can maintain his fitness throughout the season, he may attract the attention of stronger European clubs.
