Professional football has become a lucrative business in 2023 and the 10 highest-paid players in the world who plays for teams like Chelsea, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Liverpool – are raking in huge sums both in wages and endorsement deals.
Salaries of football players at the very top end of the game have grown larger in modern 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 substantial endorsement deals, which in a few cases can earn them almost as much as their salary.
In today’s article, we will be looking at the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world as of 2023. Let’s fly….
1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, the club said on Friday. Ronaldo left Manchester United to pursue other opportunities with the club and his mutual understanding.
After giving a controversial television interview with Piers Morgan, in which he claimed to feel betrayed by the team and that he did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo left Old Trafford last year.
The ex-Manchester United star recently joined Al-Nassr FC and became the highest-paid footballer of all time. The contracts offer him $210 million per annual.
2. Kylian Mbappé
French professional footballer Kylian Mbappé is a forward who presently competes for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the French national team. He is seen as one of the top young players in the world and has won several awards and accomplishments throughout his professional career, so far.
Mbappe currently makes nearly $128 million annually. He makes the most of his money from football, while he also receives money from endorsements and other sources.
3. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has amassed numerous honors and awards throughout his career, including seven Ballon d’Or awards and most recently, the World Cup.
He is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Messi has won every single major football award available to athletes.
He is currently the third-richest footballer in the world, according to Forbes, with an annual income of $120 million. He currently represents Paris Saint-Germain and, despite being 35 years old, still moves quite quickly.
4. Neymar Jr
Neymar was anticipated to earn large sums after joining PSG in 2017 at a world record cost of $263 million. The Brazilian has done well for the club, and with 37 million euros annually in PSG jerseys, he is the fourth greatest earning in football. While the 30-year-old often promotes numerous famous products, he earns another 35 million off the field.
5. Mohammed Salah
Salah is the fifth most-paid footballer, earning $36 million a year as a Liverpool player. Salah has won everything at Liverpool and also renewed his contract in the summer for a large salary increase. He also makes a lot from brand endorsements and is one of Adidas’ top athletes, earning 18 million from marketing the company.
6. Erling Haaland
The 22-year-old Norwegian has been working very hard this season at Manchester City and with 21 goals in the 2022/23 season, Haaland is on the cusp of breaking Premier League records. But all of these endeavors have paid off, as Haaland is now among the top earners in football for the first time.
The former Dortmund star earns 35 million euros each year from his clubs and he earns four million euros through partnerships with Hyperice, Samsung, and Viaplay. According to rumors, he is about to sign another brand agreement worth 18 million dollars.
7. Andres Iniesta
Iniesta, one of the finest midfielders, has long since left Barcelona, but the player continues to make money from his current team, Vissel Kobe. Iniesta, 38, is the oldest player on the list, earning 31 million dollars a year for his Chinese club. While five million dollars have been generated from endorsements, the footballer has created his own apparel business, Capitten.
8. Robert Lewandowski
After leaving Bayern Munich in 2022, the Polish striker is having a productive season at Barcelona. But the player has been faithful to form, as he tops the chart with the most goals in LA Liga, and for this reason, he is regarded as a great striker in Europe.
As any team would like, Barcelona had to pay 45 million euros to match Bayern’s expectations. The 34-year-old earns a significant amount of money from clubs and sponsorships. With 27 million from Barcelona and eight endorsements for Nike, as well as his clothing line, RL9.
9. Eden Hazard
Hazard has been a redundant player since his transfer from Chelsea, and the reduction in form has been disappointing for Belgium. But the player more than makes up for it with his enormous earnings from the club, as Hazard earns a total of 27 million euros per year while playing at Real Madrid. And the athlete’s off-field wage is also enticing, with four million dollars, since the player is also on the cover of FIFA 20.
10. Kevin de Bruyne
The Manchester City midfielder is ranked 10th among football’s biggest payers. Although his earnings are not solely from Manchester City, the player promotes a number several firms, including Nike, Wow Hydrate, Credit Karma, and Therabody. Kevin de Bruyne gets 25 million each year at Manchester City and 25 million from endorsement.
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