Forbes list of highest-paid footballers affected by ‘horrible’ Saudi Arabia contract: Cristiano Ronaldo doubles as Lionel Messi

As usual, American popular magazines Forbes A list of the highest paid footballers has been released which has had a major impact on the various signings made in the league Saudi Arabia This allows cristiano ronaldo Become the absolute leader and double your income Lionel Messiwho came in second place.

Portuguese added in total 260 million US dollars, of which 200 million are “on-market” and the remaining 60 are “off-market” Donning an Al Nasr jersey thanks to a lucrative contract he signed in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo is expected to earn $200 million on the pitch, but his contract is believed to include per-match wages as well as financial incentives for commercial deals brokered by the club. Although Al Nasr may have purchased some of his image rights , but Ronaldo still maintains a lucrative sponsorship portfolio (which includes Nike and Jacob & Co) that earns approximately $60 million per year,” the company’s report clarified. Author: Justin Birnbaum.

At the same time, experts emphasize how to “Huge Saudi contracts and major MLS signings recalibrate the football world this year”.In this sense, Messi is in second place, with an estimated $135 million in revenue distributed between 65 players on the field and 70 off it: “Messi’s agreement with Inter Miami should include that of the league partners part of income Adidas and Apple TV, as well as the option to buy a stake in Inter Miami when he hangs up his boots. Add in an additional $70 million in annual off-field earnings as Argentina wins the 2022 World Cup and moves to the United States, and Messi ranks second with a projected total of $135 million. This makes Messi the first MLS player to enter the top 10 since David Beckham in 2012.

As the publication clarifies, the ranking represents “Total on-field revenue for 2023/24 season”. In this list, they distinguish between funds received “on the field” (they clarify that base wages, bonuses and, in some cases, image rights agreements with clubs) and “off the field” (reflecting those from sponsorships of annual cash, licenses, appearances and memorabilia, as well as player-run businesses (as shown). At the same time, they pointed to special cases such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, “club or league Sponsors subsidize their contracts and that value is taken into account in on-pitch estimates.”

The list includes 11 surnames, but it must be noted that The “Arab Effect” can be seen in the top five: Three play in the Saudi Professional League, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr. and Karim Benzema as stars. The event also features a fourth player, Sadio Mané, ranked eighth.

There are Four football players playing in Saudi Arabia, three in english premier league The rest are distributed among Major League Soccerthis Ligue 1this Bundesliga and spanish league.

The person responsible for preparing the report gave his assessment of Saudi Arabia’s multi-million spending to sign star players: “The Saudis are notoriously opaque when it comes to business, especially when it comes to spending that seems to defy business logic.. Forbes He spoke to more than a dozen industry insiders to refine these contract estimates, and there’s a strong consensus that some public reports about football player wages may be exaggerated. “This may be an attempt to mitigate the reputational damage caused by playing in a country that has been accused of sporting shuffles to divert attention from its human rights record.”

At the same time, he assessed that “these sky-high wage figures” could actually act as a lure to attract more high-profile athletes to Saudi Arabia: “Football insiders say that some of the figures reported are mere speculation, sometimes informed by very few prepared by the participating intermediaries.” respective agreements. “

Some media remember Cristiano Ronaldo tops list six times In recent years (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021), at the same time Lionel Messi tops on three other occasions (2018, 2019 and 2020). Kylian Mbappe He is the only one who can compete with them for the economic throne and continue to lead in 2022.

The world’s highest paid football players

1- Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr – Saudi Arabia): $260 million (200 on-field/60 off-field)

2- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami – USA): $135 million (65/70)

3- Neymar Jr. (Al Hilal-Saudi Arabia): $112 million (80/32)

4- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain – France): $110 million (90/20)

5- Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad – Saudi Arabia): $106 million (100/6)

6- Erling Haaland (Manchester City – England): $58 million (12/46)

7- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool – England): $53 million (35/18)

8- Sadio Mane (Al Nassr – Saudi Arabia): $52 million (48/4)

9- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City – England): $39 million (4/35)

10- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich-Germany): 36 million (10/26)

eleven- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona – Spain): 34 million (10/24)