Who is the richest footballer in the world - and no it’s not Cristiano Ronaldo…or Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo Russia Jun18
Is CR7 a billionaire? Is Messi richer than the Portuguese star? Where does Neymar rank? What about Mbappe and Haaland? Planet Sport has the answers to the 20 richest players on net worth.
Erling Haaland's nine-and-a-half-year deal to stay at Manchester City until 2034 has made the big Norwegian one of the best paid players on the planet.
However, he doesn't have the trophies and awards of the great Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo yet, and his current net worth still doesn't touch the sides of those superstars.
Cristiano Ronaldo's surprise move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr was not one born of a desire to win more silverware, it's down to money...piles and piles of the stuff.
Ronaldo was already sitting on a healthy chunk of change following a stellar career at Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United.
He was already in the big leagues when it came to richest footballer, but now he's taking a swing at the world's highest-paid athlete too.
Ronaldo is now reportedly earning $190million-a-year at the Saudi club, and that's without all the added extras which will probably see that figure double.
Ronaldo is way ahead of Neymar (€100million) and Mbappe (€30million) when it comes to yearly salary (without bonuses), while Lionel Messi is scraping by on just $12m, the poor lamb.
But how do these astronomical figures relate to the rest of the footballing world?
Who is the world's richest player? The answer might surprise you.
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20. Ronaldinho - was $90million but vanishing
A footballing icon who got fans from around the world off their seats when representing his country and clubs such as Barcelona and AC Milan.
A face of Nike adverts, his commercial from the mid 2000s where he puts his boots on, juggles the ball to the edge of the box and then hits the crossbar five times was the stuff of legends. And a nod to just how good video-editing had become.
However, Ronaldinho is reportedly in financial hot water with the tax man and they were struggling to find any money in his bank accounts.
We are expecting him to drop off this list entirely when it's next updated.
19. Didier Drogba - $90million
An Ivorian and Chelsea legend, striker Drogba remains one of the best finishers to grace the Premier League.
His list of honours include four Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups and last but not least, a Champions League winners medal, in which he scored the goal to take the match to extra time before converting the match-winning penalty.
Drogba scored 65 times for his country and almost bagged 300 times at club level in a career that took in lucrative spells in China and Turkey and ended at the age of 40 at USL side Phoenix Rising.
18. Kaka - $95million
Brazilian Kaka was an attacking midfielder who possessed incredible ability on the ball, lighting up many a game.
A former AC Milan and Real Madrid player, Kaka won pretty much all there was to be won, including the World Cup in 2002 with Brazil and the 2007 Ballon d'Or.
Lucrative spells at Milan, Madrid and latterly with Orlando City in MLS mean the Brazilian has plenty of money to spend on his two passions, real estate and cars.
17. Phillip Lahm - $100million
A one-club man (barring a loan spell with Stuttgart), the former Bayern Munich defender played over 700 times for club and country.
His 113 caps for Germany puts him in the top 10 for his nation and he captained his country to World Cup glory in 2014 before announcing his retirement from international football days later.
He won 21 honours for Bayern, including eight Bundesliga titles and was never sent off once.
A book deal, endorsements and huge annual contract at Bayern account for most of his wealth.
16. Eden Hazard - $100million
The Real Madrid winger is best known for his spell with Chelsea which saw him win the PFA and Premier League Player of the Season award in 2014/15.
He has won the league in France, England and in Spain and was the captain of Belgium, for whom he has appeared over 100 times since making his debut in 2008.
He didn't heights at the Bernabeu and retired in 2023, but nevertheless was able to take his net worth to $100million thanks to a huge contract and endorsements.
15. Samuel Eto'o - $108million
From one of the greatest African players of all time to another. Eto'o, also a striker, is best remembered for his time at Barcelona, where he struck 130 times between 2004 and 2009.
Eto'o won Olympic gold and the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon in 2000 and the AFCON again two years later, the Copa del Rey with Mallorca in 2003, eight major honours at Barcelona and another five at Inter Milan.
His former clubs also included Qatar SC, Turkish teams Antalyaspor and Konyaspor and Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala, earning him some huge paydays in the twilight of his career.
Eto'o is now president of the Cameroon football federation, and made the headlines again at the 2022 World Cup after a "violent altercation" with a 'fan' with a video camera. He apologised to the public for his part in the incident.
14. Francesco Totti - $110million
The 'King of Rome' joins our list despite playing for one club for his entire career.
At club level Totti only won the Serie A once and two Coppa Italias, so he's not high on the list when it comes to silverware compared to others. Although he does have a World Cup in his pocket, so one ahead of Ronaldo there.
The Italian equivalent of David Beckham is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and spends a lot of his time working for charity. As a player he had many endorsement deals including Nike, Pepsi, Fiat, EA Sports and several modelling deals.
However, an ongoing acrimonious divorce with tv presenter wife Ilary Blasi in 2022 won't help his bank account.
13. Andres Iniesta - $120million
A Barcelona and Spain legend, Iniesta has won everything there is to be won for club and country, which included a four-year period in which Spain won a World Cup and two European Championships.
Iniesta played in Japan for Vissel Kobe where a yearly salary of around $30million put him among the highest earning footballers in the world.
Then he moved to UAE Pro League side Emirates in August 2023, where he picked up just £8.5m-a-year, no wonder he retired in October 2024 if that's all he was getting.
12. Gareth Bale - $145million
A superstar at Spurs before becoming a Galactico at Real Madrid, Bale was reportedly on an annual wage of around $30million while in Spain.
So it was a big surprise when he took a huge pay cut to join LAFC in the MLS, coining in a mere £100,000 a week. Which is peanuts compared to the rest of this list.
His enormous wealth means he will easily be able to fund a transition to his main love, golf, now his playing career is over.
11. Alexandre Pato - $145million
Former Brazilian wonderkid Alexandre Pato didn't quite live up to the hype that accompanied his breakthrough at Internacional in 2006.
Still only in his mid 30s, Pato's career has taken him to Italian giants AC Milan, Sao Paulo (loan), Corinthians, Chelsea (loan), Villarreal, Chinese club Tianjin, back to Sao Paulo and then on to the MLS with Orlando City, before rejoining Sao Paulo for the third and final time.
The majority of Pato's net worth comes from savvy investments, sizable property holdings and lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics.
The 35-year-old also owns a chain of burger restaurants in Brasilia, a vodka brand and a fashion line.
10. Ronaldo - $160million
The original Ronaldo, or R9 as he is now called, was one of the best finishers the world has ever seen. He hit 295 goals in a club career that took in Inter and AC Milan plus Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He scored 62 for Brazil with whom he also won the World Cup and has gone on to forge a successful career in business, with several media, tech and sports agency companies and a chain of football schools.
The majority shareholder in Real Valladolid and Fort Lauderdale Strikers, sold his shares in Brazilian side Cruzeiro at a massive profit.
9. Kylian Mbappe - $180million
Mbappe actually earns less at Real Madrid than he did at PSG, but we doubt that's keeping him awake at night.
He collected a €100million bonus for moving to the Spanish giants and he collects 80% of his image rights at the club.
A salary of around €30m-a-year, is boosted by various sponsorship deals from the likes of Nike and Hublot.
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - $190million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally called time on his amazing career in 2023 at the grand old age of 41.
His shooting boots took him to the biggest clubs in the world including AC and Inter Milan, Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona, PSG and LA Galaxy, seeing him win more than 30 trophies, as well as boosting his bank balance.
His football career has been the foundation to his great wealth, but it has given him the opportunity to expand into property and various brand sponsorship roles.
He's dipped his toe in the water with fashion and club ownership but with limited success, so not everything he touches turns to gold.
7. Wayne Rooney - $207million
Still the leading scorer for England and Manchester United with 51 and 253 goals, respectively, the former Plymouth, Derby, Birmingham and DC United head coach is reported to have a net worth of $207million.
Contracts, including a lucrative spell in MLS, endorsements and image rights account for the lion's share of Rooney's huge wealth.
You wouldn't want him managing your club, given his time in the Championship, but his forays into real estate is where he now collects a lot of his wealth.
6. Neymar - $250million
Although impossible to predict his exact net worth, Neymar takes his spot in the top ten even though he has dropped off the radar following his move to Saudi Arabia.
A worldwide superstar, the Al-Hilal winger has won almost everything there is to be won at club level, apart from the Champions League.
Instantly recognisable around the world, the Brazilian was made the world's highest paid player when moving to PSG, and is still earning a €100m a year in Saudi Arabia.
Add in endorsements, massive sportswear deals with Nike, Puma, Red Bull and others, plus film appearances and music deals and you've got more than enough to take your family out for a slap up meal once in a while.
5. Dave Whelan - $230million
Now, I know what you're thinking. How can Dave Whelan be above Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a list of footballers' net worth?
Well, the former Wigan Athletic owner was a full-back with Blackburn and Crewe before making his fortune with JJB Sports.
A leg break in the FA Cup final helped his transition to the retail business and he already had a market stall before he hung up his boots before the age of 30.
He bought Wigan Athletic in 1995 and helped them rise from Division Three to the Premier League, winning the FA Cup in 2013.
4. David Beckham - $450million
A worldwide superstar, the Inter Miami co-owner came through the Manchester United academy with the Class of 92, was a Galactico at Real Madrid and also played for AC Milan, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain.
His marriage to Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham helped him become a fashion icon and he continues to be in demand long after his retirement from playing.
3. Lionel Messi - $650million
World Cup winner Lionel Messi has lit up the game since making his professional debut in 2004 and claimed almost 1,000 goal contributions at Barcelona before moving to PSG in the summer of 2021.
A dazzling dribbler, Messi is considered to be the greatest player of all time. However, in this particular list he finds himself behind GOAT rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
His contract at PSG was reportedly around €43m a year, and he took a pay cut to join Inter Miami, who are paying him a paltry base salary of just $12m a year. Boo hoo.
But don't worry he bumps that up with plenty of sporsorship deals including long-term contracts with Adidas, Pepsi, MasterCard and Budweiser.
He's also expanded into the business world with Play Time-Tech, which has its fingers in many media, technology and sports' pies.
With a World Cup under his belt, Messi has probably reached the pinnacle of his career on the pitch, while off it life isn't too shabby either.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - $800million
A brand first and a player second, CR7 can't be far off becoming a billionaire.
With an Instagram following of 648 million, Ronaldo can attract huge sums for his endorsements. Arguably he is now more valuable commodity to corporate business than he is to football managers.
His departure from Manchester United before the 2022 World Cup left a sour taste in the mouth, and his dream of lifting the famous trophy in Qatar also ended in tears.
As a free agent the world was seemingly his oyster, but after the Manchester United debacle other European teams steered cleared of the five-times Ballon d'Or winner.
In December 2022, Saudi club Al-Nassr opened their wallet and snapped up Ronaldo for a reported €200m (£177m) per year - the equivalent of £3.3m per week.
His first salary in Saudi Arabia was around $75m (£62m), with the rest made up through image rights and commercial deals.
However, as he was struggling a bit to pay his electric bill, those friendly types at Al Nassr gave him a contract extension which reportedly pushed his yearly salary up to around $190m.
Phew, he can finally afford to heat that hot tub.
1. Faiq Bolkiah - $20billion
Admit it, you're thinking who?
Bolkiah currently plays for Thai club Ratchaburi and was at the academies of English sides Southampton, Leicester and Chelsea - he grew up in England after being born in the United States.
He has also captained Brunei's national team and spent time playing for Maritimo in Portugal.
However, before you start thinking the Thai League pays well, it is actually Faiq's family connections which account for his wealth.
Faiq Bolkiah - son of the Prince of Brunei who’s net worth is estimated to be $20 billion which makes him by far the richest footballer on earth - joins Liga NOS side Marítimo. There’s a headline you didn’t expect to see today pic.twitter.com/ZzzLwtJ5fI
— Marino Peixoto (@marinovpeixoto) September 23, 2020
No longer a billionaire...apparently
Mathieu Flamini - $25billion (some millions)
Once a mainstay of this list, the unheralded former Arsenal player Mathieu Flamini has dramatically dropped off it.
He had reportedly done very well for himself after football as the co-founder of GF Biochemicals, the first company in the world to be able to mass-produce levulinic acid.
In short, it is a molecule made from plant waste that can be used as a substitute for petrol...still awake?
Flamini runs the company with partner Pasquale Granata and had a net worth of over $25billion.
But the midfielder debunked these reports and called them 'nonsense'.
He's still a very rich man no doubt, and didn't reveal his true net worth like all classy millionaires, but for now he's off the list.
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