On 49 minutes Akor Adams scored the goal that settled Venezia's first match under Davide Nicola. It beat Napoli 1-0 at the Penzo on 17 October and gave the newly promoted club its first win of the season. Three months earlier the striker had cost them a club-record fee, and the question people keep typing into Google is simple: what does Venezia actually pay him?

Not much is public.

Venezia had been bottom of Serie A with three points from seven games before that night, and every goal he scores is now read against his price tag as well as against the table.

What Venezia pay him

Neither club has published a figure. What exists is press reporting, and it is consistent. Afrik-Foot and Legit.ng both put his Venezia salary at EUR 1.5m a year, and Afrik-Foot added that this makes him the club's third-highest earner. Nobody at the club has confirmed them. Not yet.

The deal is long. He signed to the end of June 2030, and the same reports say a share of his income depends on bonuses, including one tied to Venezia staying in Serie A and another to a goal target. Afrik-Foot suggested he might accept a pay cut if the club were relegated, which is its reading. No clause has been published.

Estimates, all of it. Contracts in Italy are rarely published, and club statements usually stop at the length of the deal.

A pay cut, then.

The fee, and why the numbers differ

The base fee reported is EUR 16m. Afrik-Foot says up to EUR 7m more could follow in add-ons, four million of them described as easily achievable, which would take the total to EUR 23m. Another Afrik-Foot piece the same week split the package differently, at EUR 17m plus EUR 6m, so the headline figure moves depending on which report you read. Africasoccer called it a record signing for Venezia, with bonuses agreed but no amounts given.

Venezia's first offer of EUR 10m was turned down, Afrik-Foot reported. Sevilla had a EUR 25m release clause.

Where he came from

Adams was born in Benue State on 29 January 2000 and came through the Jamba Football Academy. His senior career runs through Norway and France before Spain: Sogndal from 2018 to 2021, Lillestrøm from 2022 to 2023, Montpellier from 2023 to 2025 and Sevilla for the 2025/26 season, according to Wikipedia. Four countries in eight years. Africasoccer counted 10 goals and three assists in 36 games for Sevilla last season.

His rise with Nigeria was quick. He made his Super Eagles debut on 10 October 2025 against Lesotho in a World Cup qualifier, came on as a substitute and scored. A dream start. Wikipedia lists 16 caps and six goals for Nigeria and an AFCON bronze medal from the 2025 tournament in Morocco, though those totals have not been checked against the NFF. His rescue act against Russia in October kept that run going.

Why he said yes to Venezia

His own words.

Marseille were interested too.

They pulled out over money, Afrik-Foot reported. Adams himself gave his reason on Venezia's official website. “I chose to come here because I see the extraordinary project Venezia is building,” he said, adding that the team deserved to be in Serie A.

That win over Napoli was Venezia's first of the season, and our match report has the detail of that night in Venice.

Net worth and what it means for the Eagles

No reliable net worth for Akor Adams has been published. We are not going to guess one. What can be said is limited to contracts: he earned EUR 1.88m gross a year in Seville, reportedly, and a smaller figure in Venice, with a longer deal.

That matters for the Super Eagles.

A striker on a four-year deal at a club built around him is easier for Eric Chelle to plan with than one chasing minutes at a bigger name, particularly with the AFCON qualifiers against Tanzania just over a fortnight away. If you want to know how the head coach himself is paid, we have looked at what Chelle earns.

This article was most recently revised and updated 22 seconds ago