Footballer salaries have been impressive for decades, as the world’s biggest stars have continued to command outrageous salaries as their fame and profile have grown.
As the game continues to spread on the global stage, the stars of Europe’s biggest players have seen their bank balances rise, with annual records being broken on a regular basis.
The rivalry on, and off, the pitch between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has driven much of this growth, with the pair still among the game’s top earners, despite nearing retirement.
However, the Forbes 2022 list of the richest footballers in the world shows the rise of the next generation of players, and Messi vs. Ronaldo moved down.
Well, that all changed at the end of December, when it was announced that Ronaldo would join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in a deal that made the five-time Ballon d’Or winner the highest-paid footballer in history.
Sporting News takes a look at the top 10 players on football’s ‘Rich List’ for 2022.
MORE: Most goals in Champions League history: Ronaldo, Messi and top scorers
1. CRISTIANO RONALDO
- Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
- Country: Portugal
- Team: Al Nassr
- Estimated Annual Revenue: £175m/$200m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $60m/£52.3m*
*The figure before the Al Nassr contract was agreed
2. KYLIAN MBAPPE
- Full Name: Kylian Mbappe Lottin
- Country: France
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $110m/£96m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $18m/£15.6m
3. LIONEL MESSI
- Full Name: Lionel Andres Messi
- Country: Argentina
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $65m/£56.7m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue) $55m/£48m
4. NEYMAR JR.
- Full Name: Neymar da Silva Santos Junior
- Country: Brazil
- Club: Paris Saint-Germain
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $55m/£48m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $32m/£27.9m
5. MOHAMED SALAH
- Full Name: Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly
- Country: Egypt
- Club: Liverpool
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $35m/£30.5m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $18m/£15.7m
6. ERLING HAALAND
- Full Name: Erling Braut Haaland
- Country: Norway
- Club: Manchester City
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $35m/£30.5m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $4m/£3.5m
7. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
- Full Name: Robert Lewandowski
- Country: Poland
- Club: Barcelona
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $27m/£23.5m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $8m/£7m
8. EDEN HAZARD
- Full Name: Eden Michael Hazard
- Country: Belgium
- Club: Real Madrid
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $27m/£23.5m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $4m/£3.5m
9. ANDRES INIESTA
- Full Name: Andres Iniesta Lujan
- Country: Spain
- Team: Vissel Kobe
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $25m/£21.8m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $5m/£4.4m
10. KEVIN DE BRUYNE
- Full Name: Kevin De Bruyne
- Country: Belgium
- Club: Manchester City
- Estimated Annual Revenue: $25m/£21.8m
- Estimated Additional Revenue (off-field revenue): $4m/£3.5m
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/CHHZJ4466JUMDLS2EC3M2LPVUE.jpg)
