Morocco’s international goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, has entered the rich-list of the Top 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world.

In the list released by Sports Boom, Bounou who now plies his trade with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, reportedly earns about $210,462.50 per week, totalling around $11 million annually.

The Atlas Lions safe hands who swapped Spain for the Saudi Pro League, has captured international attention by ranking eighth among the world’s highest-paid goalkeepers.

The list of the top ten highest-paid goalkeepers features players from the German, Spanish, French, and Saudi leagues with the Spanish league leading with three of the top earners, while the German, French, and Saudi leagues each contribute two goalkeepers to the elite group.

Leading the rankings is Manuel Neuer, the German goalkeeper for Bayern Munich, who earns an impressive weekly salary of about $442,971.25, totaling approximately $23 million per year.

Bounou shares his place in the list with another Saudi Pro League goalkeeper, Senegalese Edouard Mendy of Al-Ahli, who ranks sixth overall with a weekly salary of about $231,508.75 and an annual total of around $12 million.

Since becoming a full international in 2013, Bounou has represented Morocco at two FIFA World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, having previously played for the under-23 team at the 2012 Olympics.

In November 2022, he was included in Morocco’s 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and made two crucial saves during the round of 16 penalty shoot-out against Spain, helping Morocco advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in history, before going on to defeat Portugal 1–0, becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals.

South Africa’s Rugby National team, The Springboks, Saturday suffered a narrow 29-28 loss to Argentina in the ongoing World Rugby Championship.

The win also means the South American nation has kept its hopes of winning the Championship alive and temporarily denying the Springboks their first title since 2019.

The tournament now will be decided in the return match between the teams in Nelspruit, South Africa next weekend with the Springboks into the match on top of the table with 19 points with Argentina five points behind, needing maximum points to claim the Championship for the first time.

Speaking on the outcome of the match, Argentina captain Julian Montoya said:

“We knew it was going to be a tough match against the back-to-back world champions. I wasn’t worried about the mistakes.

I was worried when we were 17-0 down but I told the team we have a plan and we are going to execute it. We trusted each other. We win together and we lose together and I’m super proud of the team.”

A report on the match by World Rugby states that in an extraordinary, see-sawing match played in temperaturs of 35 degrees at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, South Africa raced out to a 17-point lead after only 12 minutes with tries to fullback Aphelele Fassi and center Jesse Kriel and a penalty to flyhalf Handre Pollard.

“With his second conversion, Pollard passed Morne Steyn to move into second place on the Springboks’ all-time scoring list.

“Left-winger Mateo Carreras sparked the Pumas comeback, scoring a try in the 15th minute and creating another for Pablo Matera in the 22nd minute.

“Matera’s try and another to prop Joel Sclavi came when the Springboks were down to 14 men with Kurt-Lee Arendse in the sin-bin for a high tackle on Matera.

“Sclavi’s try in the 27th minute gave Argentina its first lead and they expanded their advantage to 26-17 with a try to flyhalf Tomas Albornoz from a tapped penalty.

“The Springboks then rallied with a try to scrumhalf Cobus Reinach from a quick penalty tap which cut the lead to 26-22 at halftime.

“In a tight second half, the Springboks reduced the Pumas’ lead to one point with a penalty to Pollard then went ahead 28-26 with a penalty to Libbok in the 50th minute. But Argentina rallied to regain the lead at 29-28 with an Albornoz penalty in the 68th minute.

“They then held out the Springboks’ vaunted “bomb squad” which had been able to guide South Africa to comeback wins over New Zealand in Johannesburg and Cape Town earlier in the Championship.”