The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players

Football has become big business around the world, with Europe’s top leagues generating near-record revenues last season.

Highest-Paid Soccer Players

Like in the United States, Major League Soccer (MLS) is looking to capitalize on Messi’s success, but it takes a huge investment for clubs to land the world’s top players.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid footballer, earning around $216.3 million a year. Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract with Al Nasr in the Saudi Pro League in 2023, running until 2025, by which time he will be 40 years old. Ronaldo has shown no signs of aging, proving that he is ageless, having won the Saudi Pro League title in his second season and finishing as the league’s top scorer with 35 goals.

There are two other footballers like Ronaldo who are in second place with an annual income of $108.2 million.

Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema joined Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League in 2023 after a decade at the Spanish club. In just one season in Saudi Arabia, the French striker earned half as much at Al-Ittihad as Karim Benzema earned during his entire spell at Madrid.

Meanwhile, Neymar, who played for Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona and PSG, has signed a one-year deal with Al Hilal. In his 11-year playing career, Neymar has earned a total of $531 million, making him the second highest-paid footballer of all time behind Ronaldo.

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The list of highest-paid players also includes two very good goalkeepers.

Legendary Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is the highest-paid goalkeeper, earning $22.7 million per year. Last November, he signed a one-year extension that will keep him at the club until the 2025 season.

Atletico Madrid’s outstanding goalkeeper Jan Oblak is in second place, earning $22.5 million annually. Since joining the Spanish team in 2014, Oblak has solidified his reputation and signed a four-year deal worth $90.1 million in 2022.

On the defensive side, Kalidou Koulibaly was named the highest-paid defender, earning $37.5 million per season with Al Hilal. The former Chelsea star joined the Saudi Pro League in 2023, Saudi Pro League salary increased by 47% compared to his time in London.

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The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players

Below is a list of the top 25 highest-paid football players in the world.

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Total Compensation
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Forward	Al Nassr	$216.3 million
T2	Karim Benzema	Forward	Al-Ittihad	$108.2 million
T2	Neymar	Forward	Al Hilal	$108.2 million
4	Riyad Mahrez	Forward	Al-Ahli	$56.5 million
5	Sadio Mane	Forward	Al Nassr	$43.3 million
6	Kalidou Koulibaly	Defender	Al Hilal	$37.5 million
7	Robert Lewandowski	Forward	Barcelona	$36.1 million
9	Kylian Mbappe	Forward	Real Madrid	$33.8 million
10	Ivan Toney	Forward	Al-Ahli	$27.6 million
T-11	Sergei Milinkovic -Savic	Forward	Al Hilal	$27.04 million
T-11	Alexsandar Mitrovic	Forward	Al Hilal	$27.04 million
T-11	N’golo Kante	Midfielder	Al-Ittihad	$27.04 million
T-11	Harry Kane	Forward	Bayern Munich	$27.04 million
15	Kevin De Bruyne	Forward	Manchester City	$27 million
16	Aymeric Laporte	Defender	Al Nassr	$26.5 million
17	Marcelo Brozovic	Midfielder	Al Nassr	$26.2 million
18	Erling Haaland	Forward	Manchester City	$25.3 million
19	David Alaba	Defender	Real Madrid	$24.3 million
20	Dusan Vlahovic	Forward	Juventus	$24.04 million
T-21	Casemiro	Midfielder	Manchester United	$23.6 million
T-21	Mohamed Salah	Forward	Liverpool	$23.6 million
23	Manuel Neuer	Goalkeeper	Bayern Munich	$22.7 million
T-24	Jan Oblak	Goalkeeper	Atletico Madrid	$22.5 million
T-24	Vinicius Junior	Forward	Real Madrid	$22.5 million
T-24	Jude Bellingham	Forward	Real Madrid	$22.5 million