A Forbes published this Friday the annual list of the highest paid players in world football. The big news is the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the top of the table, previously occupied by Kylian Mbappé, who now appears in fourth place. Lionel Messi and Neymar, respectively, complete the top 3.
The change in first position is justified by the Portuguese champion’s move to Al Nassr, from Saudi Arabia. The 38-year-old athlete’s new income amounts to $260 million (approximately R$1.3 billion). The values take into account both the salary (200 million) and earnings off the pitch, such as sponsorships (60 million).
Scandalous Saudi contracts and a major MLS deal have realigned the soccer universe this year. But a list of top names, including Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar, remain at the top of the financial rankings.https://t.co/rioTzARNI0 pic.twitter.com/rj31HONkGj
— Forbes SportsMoney (@ForbesSports) October 13, 2023
Cristiano receives almost twice as much as Messi
The amount received by Cristiano Ronaldo is almost double that paid by Inter Miami – and their respective sponsors – to Lionel Messi. The Argentine star earns a total of 135 million dollars (around 680 million reals), of which 65 million on the field and 70 million off it.
In third place Neymar pockets 112 million dollars a year (80 million salary + 32 million off the pitch), followed by Mbappé with 110 million (90 million + 20 million), Benzema with 106 million (100 million + 6 million) . Haaland with 58 million (46 million+12 million), Salah with 53 million (35 million+18 million), Mané with 52 million (48 million+4 million), De Bruyne with 39 million (35 million+4 million), Harry Kane with 36 million (26 million + 10 million) and Lewandowski with 34 million (24 million + 10 million).
This is the sixth time in the last ten years that Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list of the highest paid players in the world published by the North American magazine. He also led in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021. During this period, Messi finished first on three occasions (2018, 2019 and 2020), while Mbappé prevailed in 2022.
The 11 highest paid players in the world (dollar values):
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) – 260 million
2. Messi (Inter Miami) – 135 million
3. Neymar (Al-Hilal) – 112 million
4. Mbappé (PSG) – 110 million
5. Benzema (Al-Ittihad) – 106 million
6. Haaland (Manchester City) – 58 million
7. Salah (Liverpool) – 53 million
8. Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr) – 52 million
9. De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 39 million
10. Kane (Bayern Munich) – 36 million
11. Lewandowski (Barcelona) – 34 million
Source: Terra
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