Top 10 most paid footballers in 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes highest-paid footballer in history after Al-Nassr deal. The club made the announcement of the signing on Friday, as per ESPN. The 37-year-old will receive $75 million per year, which will make him the highest-paid footballer in history.

A World Cup winner in 2018 with France, Kylian Mbappé will collect “roughly $110m between his salary and a share of his signing bonus for this season”, Forbes said. The 23-year-old will also earn an estimated $18m in annual endorsements from partners including Nike, Dior, Hublot, Oakley and Panini. “He’s a global icon already,” Sorare co-founder and CEO Nicolas Julia told Forbes in June. Mbappé, who signed a three-year deal with PSG in May, also topped the most valuable football players in the world list for 2022.

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi is second behind PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappé. The Argentina captain, 35, will earn a total of $110m in 2022-2023 ($65m on-pitch and $55m off-pitch).

Part of PSG’s famed “MNM” front-line, Neymar Jr joins team-mates Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi as one of the world’s highest-paid footballers. Ranked fourth, the 30-year-old Brazilian will earn $87m in 2022-2023 ($55m on-pitch and $32m off-pitch).

Liverpool’s “Egyptian king” Mohamed Salah takes fifth place on the list with total earnings of $53m ($35m on-pitch and $18m off-pitch). Off the pitch the 30-year-old has turned into an “enormously marketable athlete who allows Liverpool reach into new markets”, said the Liverpool Echo.

Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland has set the Premier League alight since joining English champions Manchester City in the summer. Appearing in the Forbes top ten for the first time, the 22-year-old striker will earn $39m in 2022-2023 ($35m on-pitch and $4m off-pitch).

Robert Lewandowski, another of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers, ended eight trophy-filled seasons at Bayern Munich in July with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona. The Poland captain, 34, will earn $35m in 2022-2023 ($27m on-pitch and $8m off-pitch).

Eden Hazard has struggled with injuries since moving to Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2019, but he has continued to earn millions of dollars. Eighth on the Forbes list, the Belgium attacker will earn a total of $31m in 2022-2023 ($27m on-pitch and $4m off-pitch).

Although aged 38, Spanish midfielder Andrés Iniesta still plays professionally in Japan for J1 League club Vissel Kobe, where he is captain. The former Barcelona and Spain star, who scored the winning goal for his country in the 2010 Fifa World Cup final against the Netherlands, will have total earnings of $30m ($25m on-pitch and $5m off-pitch) in 2022-2023.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is tenth on the Forbes ranking with total earnings of $29m ($25m on-pitch and $4m off-pitch) in 2022-2023. The Belgium playmaker is expected to appear for his country at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is tenth on the Forbes ranking with total earnings of $29m ($25m on-pitch and $4m off-pitch) in 2022-2023. The Belgium playmaker is expected to appear for his country at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.