According to Forbes, Lewandowski is the only La Liga player on the highest-paid list.
Saudi Arabia’s astronomical contracts have transformed the rankings of the world’s highest-paid players. Al Nasrr were one of four clubs to be privatized by the Public Investment Fund this summer, having signed Cristiano Ronaldo in January. The Portuguese once again tops the list with annual income of $260 million (
Saudi Arabia’s astronomical contracts have transformed the rankings of the world’s highest-paid players. Al Nasrr were one of four clubs to be privatized by the Public Investment Fund this summer, having signed Cristiano Ronaldo in January. The Portuguese once again tops the list with an annual salary of US$260 million (€247 million) this season, thanks to his 200 million contract plus other off-field income worth 60 million. This is an estimate based on a classification just published by Forbes, which awarded the gold medal to the Portuguese, although it cannot be ruled out that the Saudi team purchased some of the striker’s image rights.
This number is almost double that of second-placed Messi. His earnings after renewing his contract with Inter Miami totaled $135 million, which indeed made him the first MLS player since David Beckham in 2012 to enter the top ten of Forbes’ list. Of this, $70 million corresponds to his commercial profile, such as sponsorships or a percentage of his income from Adidas and Apple, two MLS partners that he can choose from when he hangs up his boots Buy shares of Inter Miami.
Neymar joins the podium with $112 million. When he put on the boots of Saudi Al Hilal (another privatized club), his income reached 80 million, in addition to establishing commercial alliances with Puma, Konami or Red Bull. The fourth place is Mbappe, who was the leader in this ranking last season. Now, after deciding not to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, he has climbed to the top of the European League with a worth of 110 million. Real Madrid’s list of potential player signings for next season is open and thanks to a record salary cap of €727 million, Real Madrid have room.
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Another Saudi superstar, Karim Benzema, rounds out the top five, having earned $100 million on the pitch thanks to his contract with Al Ittihad (which has also been privatized) , and earned $600 million from other contracts. Two Premier League players followed him. Erling Haaland ranks sixth with $58 million, $12 million of which comes from off-field earnings from his lucrative contract with Nike. The Manchester City player therefore earns 4.5 times less than Cristiano Ronaldo, despite being 15 years younger. The 23-year-old broke the English league goalscoring record, graced the cover of EA Sports FC and attracted the attention of Real Madrid, which could increase his salary. Meanwhile, Egyptian Mohamed Salah from Liverpool earns 53 million. Of this amount, $18 million was also attributed to its lucrative business alliances, such as Adidas’s alliance. Salah was also thrust into the spotlight as he was set to sign his most expensive contract at the Etihad, although Liverpool ultimately rejected his release.
Saudi Arabia did conquer Sadio Mane, who plays with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, for 52 million. Followed by Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City (39 million) and Harry Kane from Bayern (36 million). The eleventh and final spot calculated by Forbes is Robert Lewandowski, the only La Liga player in this ranking. Blaugrana’s total revenue is 34 million, of which 10 million is related to its commercial activities with eight sponsors including Nike, Spotify and Oanda.