After Lionel Messi moved to the US and Saudi Arabia lured some of football's biggest stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, to the kingdom, here are the highest-paid players in the world today!
Renowned finance publication Forbes has now released a list of the sport's 11 best-paid players this year, and it includes familiar names such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, as well as a couple of surprise faces too.
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It is said that when the list of the game's highest-paid players was compiled in 2022, the top 10 earned a combined total of $652 million (R12 billion).
This year, however, 11 of the world's best-earning footballers are estimated to earn $995 million (R18 billion) before taxes and agents’ fees, with players employed by Saudi clubs taking up four of the spots.
Ronaldo topped the standing back in 2021, and after joining Al Nassr in January, he is once again at the summit of this year's list by a considerable margin.
The Portuguese icon is expected to earn a total amount of $260 million (R4.9 billion), of which $200 million (R3.7 billion) comes from on-field earnings, while the rest stems from off-field earnings in the form of various commercial deals.
In second position is Messi, who made the shift to Major League Soccer in July. His deal with David Beckham's Inter Miami side is understood to consist of an option to buy a stake in the club when he decides to retire.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's agreement with the Florida-based team also reportedly includes a cut of revenue from league partners adidas and Apple TV.
His off-field earnings are reported to amount to a whopping $70 million (R1.3 billion), while his on-field earnings make up the rest of his total projected earnings of $135 million (R2.5 billion).
In third and fourth place are the 36-year-old's former Paris Saint-Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The latter joined Ronaldo in Saudi in August and is estimated to make an on-field total of $80 million (R1.5 billion).
In addition to that, the Brazilian is believed to have been gifted a mansion that came with its very own personal staff and some luxury cars, as well as bonuses for social media posts, with his off-field compensation bringing his total earnings up to an estimated $112 million (R2.1 billion).
A new addition to the list that may surprise some is that of Harry Kane, following his switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich. The England striker, who has already scored nine goals in just 10 appearances for the Bavarians this season, occupies 10th spot in the ranking.
Here is the full list of the game's highest earners, per Forbes:
In terms of how the list was compiled the magazine, the publication states: "The Forbes ranking of the world’s highest-paid soccer players represents the combined total of on-field earnings for the 2023-24 season, including base salaries, bonuses and, in some cases, club-based image rights agreements, and off-field estimates that reflect annual cash from endorsements, licensing, appearances and memorabilia, as well as businesses operated by the players.
"In the cases of players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, where club or league sponsors subsidize their contracts, that value is accounted for in on-field estimates. The figures are derived through publicly available databases, including Capology.com, and conversations with industry insiders. Most asked to remain anonymous, but Forbes would like to acknowledge Tancredi Palmeri and DODICI Sports Management’s Mariano Trasande.
"All figures are converted to U.S. dollars using the current exchange rate. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct taxes or agents’ fees. Transfer fees are excluded."
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