Football is a good platform for a lucrative business. It no longer remains a game but has turned into business due to which the big clubs try to approach good players with a stronghold on social media reach. These include big names like Real Madrid and Manchester United, who have been known for chasing the superstars to gain public attraction, which helps increase their popularity. It is the clubs who are getting smarter, and the management pays the players a fair amount per month according to their value and importance. In this article, we will be looking for ten highest-paid footballers in the world. Click here to find more details regarding the income of your favorite sports person.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
The number one Juventus striker with millions of international fans, Cristiano Ronaldo, positions number one on the list. He has been regarded as the best player of the generation and is the highest-paid with one more competition on the list, which we will discuss in the next paragraph. If we look apart from football, the Forbes latest article positions him at no. 2 athletes with $105 million, below the Tennis superstar Roger Federer’s $106.3 million. Apart from theses, Ronaldo has been endorsing top brands like Nike and others, which exceeds more than $1 billion. He has also been associated with Herbalife and Altice, which leads to a net worth of $460 million. He also owns his brand named CR7 and has been the most followed person on social media like Instagram, making him hold the top spot.
2. Lionel Messi
Though Lionel Messi has a pale endorsement when compared to Ronaldo’s. This is the reason he is behind him on the list with $1 million. Last year, Messi was on the top in the list of highest-paid soccer players with approx. $130 million. He was even the highest earned athlete of the year across all the sports. His dropping off to the second number is due to a 70% pay cut taken by him for the COVID pandemic. He has been the Ballon d’Or winner for the sixth time and La Liga title winner for the 10-time. Messi also has won the Championship league the fourth time. He has been earning more than $750 million over the last ten years. He has partnerships with brands like Adidas, Gatorade, Pepsi, MasterCard, and Huawei Technologies, which all turn into the net worth of $400 million.
3. Neymar
Although Neymar never won the year’s players like the above two players, he is not less in salary and earnings. He is the third-highest player and world’s fourth highest-paid player with $95.5 million. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 from Barcelona, which has been the most expensive signing of all time at $263 million. This five-year contract with the French club comprises of worth $350 million. Apart from this, he has 11 years contract deal with Nike and is the first player to collaborate with Jordan Brand, which now provides PSG’s jerseys.
4. Mohamed Salah
He has been back to back Premier League Golden Boot winner and is also current England and Europe champion. He moved to Liverpool in 2017 for $46 million and broke the records of maximum goals in 38 game season, bringing the team into the championship final. Unfortunately, his injury leads to the loss of a trophy. He has endorsements with Adidas, Vodafone, and Pepsi and has a net worth of $70 million and is the most paid player with $35.1 million.
5. Kylian Mbappé
The 21-year-old is rising start and future winner of Ballon d’Or, who has been lighting up from three seasons. He has won the AS Monaco and Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award and the Golden Boy award. He joined PSG in 2017 with a deal of $156 million. He has been the top goal soccer twice and earns $33.8 million and is sponsored by Nike. He also has an endorsement deal with Hublot with a net worth of $75 million.
6. Andrés Iniesta
The player is 36 years old and close to his retirement. The Spanish man is the best midfielder and current plays from Japan. He earns approx. $29.6 million and has won nine La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, two trebles, and a plethora of other accolades. He is also the winner of the 2010 World Cup and has been 2nd in the Ballon d’Or rankings that year. Iniesta has an endorsement deal with Asics and a net worth of $100 million.
7. Mesut Özil
Mesut Ozil has been given free money due to the quality and being the best passers of the ball, but the same has been criticized amongst pundits and managers. However, this doesn’t make his paycheck suffer. The German world cup player has $28.7 million in earnings. His sponsors include Adidas and Mercedes-Benz, which turns around net worth of around $100 million.
8. Paul Pogba
His five-year contract with Manchester from 2016 was a world-record $120 million at the time. He has helped with his performance, which makes him a total earning of about $28.5 million and has partnerships with Adidas and Pepsi, which is $85 million.
9. Oscar
After winning two premier league with West London, the player made a shocking movement to the Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG in January of 2017with a $75 million transfer to China. He did so to support his low-income family and since then never returned for Europe. The imposition of a salary cap may bring him back to Europe next year.
10. Antoine Griezmann
Antonie switched to FC Barcelona in 2019 with $135 million and has a massive roleplay in France 2018 World Cup. He is considered the best player in La Liga. His endorsement deals with Puma and Huawei, get him to $26.7 million in total earnings. The Frenchman has a net worth of $60 million.
Conclusions
Every child dreaming of a footballer doesn’t just want to serve the game by being a good player. People knew this could lead to the path of name, fame, and luxury. These things have become an essential part of the game and can be given a much better life than any ordinary job.
