They say money makes the world go round – and that’s certainly true about the game of football.
Two teams of 11 players kicking a ball around a pitch is big business in every part of the world, although the most amount of cash can be found kicking about in Europe’s top leagues. Footballers’ salaries at the very top end of the game have risen exponentially in recent years, especially following the entrance onto the scene of huge multinationals, oligarchs and oil states as club owners.
Players have also benefitted from the popularity of the game to sign significant endorsement deals, which in a few cases can earn them almost as much as their salary.
It certainly pays to be good at football, but who are the highest-paid players in the world? We’ve put the calculator to good use to work out the 10 stars earning the most from their clubs.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – $213m/year
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the country’s wealthiest football player with his transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr, with a lucrative contract that will enable him to earn $200m each year as an Al-Nassr player, and this is just his club’s compensation. Ronaldo has his own apparel and perfume business called CR7, as well as collaborations that pay him $60 million, making him the wealthiest football player and sportsman in the world.
2. Kylian Mbappe – $110m/year
The new captain of the French national team certainly deserves his place towards the top of this list thanks to his dazzling displays for club and country.
Kylian Mbappe signed a mega three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2022 summer transfer window, which reportedly gives him a say in how the club is run, but continues to be linked with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo Redemption Arc is the best thing you’d want to see as a football fan 😍#Ronaldo #Cristiano #AlNassr pic.twitter.com/9Ljz6v2Zsq
— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) April 6, 2023
3. Lionel Messi – $65m/year
Lionel Messi joined PSG on a free transfer in 2021 after his surprise exit from Barcelona and became one of the club’s biggest earners alongside Mbappe and Neymar. Messi’s yearly compensation is $65m, however, that is not it. The 35-year-old earns $48 million by endorsing major products such as watches, Fizzy, pop, telecommunications, sportswear, sports drink, beer, video games, an oil state, and crisps.
Although, his time at PSG might be coming to an end after his contract expires in the summer of 2023. That…
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