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The list keeps changing every year as does their respective earnings. Pulse Sports takes you through the top ten most paid footballers in the world.
Footballers earn large sums from their club wages, off-pitch businesses and lucrative endorsements.
10. Kevin De Bruyne. Total earnings: USD 29 million
Manchester City’s midfield maestro and playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne is universally hailed as one of the greatest footballers of his generation.
He played for four different clubs, including Chelsea, from 2008 to 2015. City picked him from Wolfsburg in 2015 for a then club record transfer fee of around USD 82.5 million. At the time, De Bruyne’s transfer made him the second-costliest player in British football history.
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Forbes places his latest contract at the club at on-field earnings of USD 25 million for the 2022-23 season, making him one of the richest footballers in the world now.
He also endorses 11 brands, including Nike, Therabody, Credit Karma and Wow Hydrate, which adds another USD 4 million to his annual earnings.
09. Andres Iniesta Total earnings: USD 30 million
Iniesta belongs to what can be called the golden generation of Spanish football. His command on the field, control over the ball, inventiveness and accurate passing has made him one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
While he is now at Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe, he is a nine-time La Liga Champion and four-time UEFA Champions League winner for Barcelona, Iniesta was also instrumental in Spain’s Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and 2010 FIFA World Cup championship victories.
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Of his total projected earnings for the 2022-23 season, Iniesta makes USD 25 million in the form of on-field salary. His off-field earnings are estimated at USD 5 million. In September 2022, he launched Capitten, his own sportswear brand, in Japan. There is also a FIFA World Cup documentary in which Iniesta is set to appear.
08. Eden Hazard. Total earnings: USD 31 million
A gifted attacking midfielder and winger, Hazard is one of Belgium’s most prominent players. He began his career with Ligue 1 club Lille before moving to Premier League club Chelsea in 2012. La Liga giants Real Madrid acquired him in 2019 for USD 112 million — the highest ever the club paid for a footballer.
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According to Forbes, Hazard remains one of the richest footballers in the world today. His estimated on-field earnings are set to be USD 27 million and his off-field revenue will be around USD 4 million.
07. Robert Lewandowski. Total earnings: USD 35 million
The Polish striker is the highest goal-scorer for his country with 77 goals. Lewandowski currently plays for Barcelona, which acquired him in mid-2022 for around USD 45 million.
The Poland national team skipper is a Nike ambassador, promotes Polish sports supply company 4F, and has his own clothing line called RL9.
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Together with his wife, Polish karate champion Anna Lewandowska, he owns Foods by Ann, which sells his RL9 Coffee brand, among other drinks and snacks. He is also very active on TikTok, where he often entertains more than 26 million followers of his with dance videos.
His off-field earnings for the 2022-23 season are projected at around USD 8 million. The rest of his total income for the season is in the form of USD 27 million as on-field salary.
06. Erling Haaland Total earnings: USD 39 million
Haaland’s off-field earnings, as per Forbes, are only USD 4 million from his engagements with corporates such as Samsung, Viaplay and Hyperice.
His 2022-23 earnings in the form of on-field salary amounting to USD 35 million.
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However, his latest deal of USD 18 million with NIKE will see his total earnings skyrocket to over USD 50 million in months.
05. Mohamed Salah. Total earnings: USD 53 million
Salah is counted among the greatest footballers from Africa. The Egyptian forward plays for Premier League club Liverpool and has won a league title, a FIFA Club World Cup, an English FA Cup, an English Super Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and a UEFA Champions League with them.
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In July 2022, Salah signed a new three-year contract with Liverpool, becoming the club’s highest-paid player earning around USD 423,000 per week. This contributes USD 35 million to his on-field earnings in the 2022-23 season.
Salah is also one of Adidas’ biggest brand ambassadors. His global fame, particularly in the Arab world and Africa, and his positive image as a unifying force across cultures have played a major role in corporates signing him up for brand endorsements. Forbes estimates that he earns USD 18 million off the field.
04. Neymar Jr. Total earnings: USD 87 million
Brazilian forward Neymar Jr. set the world record for the highest transfer in football history in 2017 when he was inducted by Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from Barcelona for USD 263 million.
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Forbes placed him fourth on its 2023 list of the world’s highest-paid footballers. According to the publication, his earnings between 1 May 2022 and 1 May 2023 from PSG salary and bonuses amounted to USD 70 million.
As per the publication, he has made another USD 25 million as off-field earnings, including endorsements for brands such as Puma and Red Bull, in the same period.
03. Lionel Messi Total earnings: USD 120 million
Messi is considered by many as the world’s greatest active footballer. And he has forever ended the GOAT debate by winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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Messi is a record seven-time winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or and the first footballer to be awarded the Laureus Award for Best Sportsman of the Year, which he jointly won with Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton.
As per Forbes’ estimates, he is the third-highest-paid footballer in the 2022-23 season with total earnings of around USD 120 million.
Around USD 65 million of this total come from his salary at PSG. The remaining, USD 55 million, comprises off-field income, including endorsements for brands such as Adidas, Budweiser, Gatorade, Konami, Mastercard, Pepsi and PUBG MOBILE.
It was reported in January 2023 that Saudi club Al-Hilal was ready to offer him a package of USD 350 million per year. In case the deal goes through, it would make Messi the highest paid footballer in the world.
02. Kylian Mbappé. Total earnings: USD 128 million
Forbes suggests that the young French striker is not only one of the richest footballers in the world, but also the second world’s highest-paid footballer for the 2022-23 season. His estimated on-field earnings are estimated at USD 110 million.
He also earns USD 18 million from endorsements of brands such as Dior, Panini, Hublot, Oakley and Nike.
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The young footballer has appeared in only two FIFA World Cups so far and is the highest goal scorer among active players for his country at the mega tournament.
At the 2018 edition of the tournament, he became the youngest French goal-scorer in World Cup history, the second teenager to score two goals in a World Cup match after Pelé, and the second teenager after Pelé to score in a World Cup final match.
01. Cristiano Ronaldo Total Earnings: USD 273 million
Ronaldo has won almost every trophy that the world of football can offer, including five Ballon d’Or — footballing world’s highest individual honour.
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He is the first footballer to win league cups in Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. He also captained Portugal to the 2016 Euro Cup championship.
Ronaldo is the world’s highest goal-scorer, male or female, by country with over 110 international goals. He has also scored over 700 goals for the clubs he has played for throughout his career, bringing his total goal tally to over 800.
He earns about USD 213 million a season at Al Nasser according to Forbes with endorsements of over USD 60 million.
He endorses brands such as Nike, Herbalife, Livescore, Armani, TAG Heuer and Clear shampoo and Talabat and Jacob & Co. He also has his own highly successful fashion brand named CR7 and has investments in the hospitality sector with Pestana CR7 chain of hotels.
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