THE WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST-PAID SOCCER PLAYERS 2024

THE WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST-PAID SOCCER PLAYERS 2024

While getting paid in Saudi Arabia may be a bit of a challenge nowadays, the country still has four out of the ten richest footballers in the world, one of them being the famed Cristiano Ronaldo who broke all the records.

Exactly a year later, many Saudi Pro League clubs burst budgets, with the final expenditure rough approximated at $1 billion on players denied engaged in any other country about soccer before this. The situation on the market has changed a lot. Due to low oil prices and the country’s determination in several mega projects that have almost drained its $925 billion (in assets) sovereign wealth fund, the Saudis allocated only $524 million for soccer purchases as of this summer, identify Transfermarkt. Plus the new signings – those being Moussa Diaby, Ivan Toney and Marcos Leonardo as the most notable probably – are not exactly the most recognizable ones.

For the stars who created this path into the Arab world, however, the checks from Saudi Arabia are still of an acceptable standard. As of today, four players that have played in or are currently playing in the Saudi Pro-League are within the top ten richest sportspersons that play football when on-field payments for this season and all expenses on advertising, autographs, and other businesses are considered. The star-studded Premier League from England fills only three positions while its counterpart La Liga from Spain takes two positions Lino Messi occupies the only position in Major League Soccer in the US.

Messi rises to number two in the rankings attributing $135 million earnings for himself before taxes and any agents commissions, which includes the best earner in sports $75 million off the field, but it is the second year in a row that he is not the first who earns more than his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the first one to fetch and open the Saudi gates by joining Al Nassr in January 2023.

The win star on the list for the sixth time in the last ten years seasons forecasts on field earnings of $220 million for the current season; this amount is assumed to comprise revenue earning additional components of his clubs’ endorsed deals on top of his playing payment. The total of $285 million – which also includes roughly $65 million earned in activities outside the pitch – is the highest in football history, surpassing $260 million in the previous year’s ranking. And out of the bodies Forbes has reported on athletes since 1990, with the exception of one – the boxer Floyd Mayweather, who managed to do so while still competing in the sport.

There is also a cloud of doubt concerning Mohamed Salah, who may bid adieu to his stay in Liverpool after eight seasons, next summer. Eighth on the list of the highest-earning footballers in the world this season with an estimated wage of $53 million, the player is yet to renew his contract with the club with Salah revealing to Sky Sports that this is his last year at the club. With reports indicating that Al Ittihad made a $197 million transfer proposal to bring Egypt sensation in 2023, Saudi Arabia seems to be on the table.

“I just want to enjoy it,” Salah has said in his press statements in September. “I don’t want to think about it—I feel I’m free to play football, and we’ll see what happens next year.”

THE WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST-PAID SOCCER PLAYERS 2024

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#1. $285 million

Cristiano Ronaldo

Age: 39 | Club: Al Nassr | Nationality: Portugal | On-Field: $220 million • Off-Field: $65 million

Ronaldo enjoys the most significant social media influence among athletes worldwide with more than 900 million accounts and his presence on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) alone. Recently, his online presence has increased even more after he created a YouTube account in August. It took him only 90 minutes to surpass one million subscribers making it the fastest ever recorded in the platform’s history. ‘UR Cristiano’ has also gathered around 65 million subscribers since then and just 59 videos posted have surpassed 544 million views. Ronaldo has more mainstream affiliations, including Nike, Herbalife, and Whoop – in which the player has invested – in addition to hotels, perfumes and even Underwear branded CR. Many such business ventures will incidentally keep him preoccupied at the age of 39 whenever he indicates the intention to retire; for the reason that Ronaldo’s contract with Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr will expire at the end of the ongoing season.

#2. $135 million

Lionel Messi

Age: 37 | Club: Inter Miami | Nationality: Argentina | On-Field: $60 million • Off-Field: $75 million

Messi has helped Inter Miami reach the finals for the first championship in the club’s history only days after winning a 16th Copa America title with Argentina. The South Florida-based team has collected MLS-leading 71 points with one more regular season match left to play and looks set to take home the MLS Cup once the playoffs start on October 23. In other words, win or lose, it’s probably not the last of Messi in Miami. He has a deal running until 2025 with 2026 option, with Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas telling Forbes in April that he was “very positive” that his star striker will be back. Currently, Messi has many endorsers away from the pitch, these include Adidas, Apple TV, and Konami plus his Instagram account has over 500 million followers. Last month, he also started a production company called 525 Rosario, after the name of the city where he grew up in Argentina and where his family house is located.

#3. $110 million

Neymar

Age: 32 | Club: Al Hilal | Nationality: Brazil | On-Field: $80 million • Off-Field: $30 million

Neymar’s experience in Saudi Arabia has very much gone awry. The Brazilian forward suffered only five appearances with Al Hilal before ripping his ACL in October last year. After that, he has been rehabilitating with the team, but the player who will turn 32 years old can now only wish the Middle East good luck. The extension of the player’s contract with Al Hilal, which has been described as full of needless benefits such as a private aircraft, a dozen luxury vehicles, luxury accommodation for his assistants and his girlfriend whom he is not allowed to be with because of Islamic laws, will end at the close of the 2024-25 season. As a promoter, however, it does not appear that Ney’s prospects are at risk. To his 225 million followers on Instagram, he often talks about his sponsors rich in flesh including old ones who are Puma and Blaze Casino, and the recently added Saudi perfumer Ibrahim Al-Qurashi.

#4. $104 million

Karim Benzema

Age: 36 | Club: Al Ittihad | Nationality: France | On-Field: $100 million • Off-Field: $4 million

#5. $90 million

Kylian Mbappé

Age: 25 | Club: Real Madrid | Nationality: France | On-Field: $70 million • Off-Field: $20 million

After what seems like an eternity of whispers and speculation, Mbappé can finally cross one off his bucket list. The French-born player wants to bask in every moment of it with his family, since in his own words, this is a date that he will carry in his memory for the rest of days. said in July during his first press conference with almost 80,000 the crowds at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium who had come to welcome him. However, the 25-year-old French star is still entangled in a battle with his previous club, Paris St Germain, regarding his unpaid wages, which close to $60 million, and which is on its way to court. The Legacy from His Absence is Across French Football Throughout nearly every aspect of the game, the gravity of his absence has been profoundly felt. Ligue 1, the premier level of the French League, in contrast fell significantly short of the projected media rights fee of $1.1 billion whilst in the process of reviewing its media contracts in France, claims Le Monde of France, instead the league will achieve just over $700 million for both local and global rights.

#6. $60 million

Erling Haaland

Age: 24 | Club: Manchester City | Nationality: Norway | On-Field: $46 million • Off-Field: $14 million

In two years spent in Manchester City, Haaland has added many trophies to his cabinet, including two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and a Champions League victory. Though, the case has been different in international competitions. World Cup in 1998 last time and Euro 2000 last saw Norway’s participation. During the week, the country suffered its second defeat to Austria, who beat Norway 5-1 in the UEFA Nations League.

#7. $55 million

Vinicius Jr.

Age: 24 | Club: Real Madrid | Nationality: Brazil | On-Field: $40 million • Off-Field: $15 million

The only fresh face when it comes to the list of top earners this year is none other than Vinicius. Having joined Real Madrid at the tender age of 18, he has since grown into a lethal goal machine who scored 85 goals in 273 games across all competitions with the club. He has as well transcended the boundaries of sports to become one of the most bankable athletes, especially in South America. The 22-year old has 11 endorsement deals including Adidias’ PlayStation and Pepsi and Clear shampoo besides an on pitch contract he quietly signed in 2022 that binds him to the club until 2027.

#8. $53 million

Mohamed Salah

Age: 32 | Club: Liverpool | Nationality: Egypt | On-Field: $35 million • Off-Field: $18 million

Salah’s reach in brands’ quests for endorsement deals is not only limited to the Premier League but also extends to countries in Africa and the Middle East making him a target for brands in that area. Hе has partnered with Vodafone, Mountain View Egypt, Pepsi, and Adidas, among others, and has nearly 100 million combined followers on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

#9. $52 million

Sadio Mané

Age: 32 | Club: Al Nassr | Nationality: Senegal | On-Field: $48 million • Off-Field: $4 million

Mané has dedicated a portion of his exorbitant salary to transform his home country Senegal for a number of years. In 2019, for instance, he revealed that he gives out 70 euros every month to every citizen of a ‘very poor area of Senegal.’ The 32-year-old has also funded a number of infrastructural development activities such as gas station and a post office construction, and introduction of 4G mobile network.

#10. $39 million

Kevin De Bruyne

Age: 33 | Club: Manchester City | Nationality: Belgium | On-Field: $35 million • Off-Field: $4 million

According to sources, De Bruyne declined an attractive opportunity to head into Saudi Arabia due to the unnecessary relocation of his family from Manchester. However, the kingdom could come calling for him once more: There have been speculations that Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo is attempting to recruit the Belgian. Away from the field, De Bruyne endorses almost half a dozen brands, some of which include Nike and McDonald’s.