With new contracts being signed and players transferring between clubs, the list of the highest-paid footballers in the world continues to evolve, and the 2023/2024 season is no exception.
Forbes officially confirmed the list of the highest-paid football stars for 2022, but things have changed since then, and a new player has now claimed the title of the world’s highest-paid footballer for 2024. Below is a comprehensive list of the top earners in football today.
This list considers not only the players’ wages but also their earnings from endorsements, sponsorships, and other business ventures they are involved in.
Who are the highest-paid Players In 2024?
10. Kevin De Bruyne
Age: 33 | Club: Manchester City | Nationality: Belgium | On-Field: $35 million • Off-Field: $4 million
How Much Does Kevin De Bruyne Earn Per Year?
Belgium and Manchester City’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne earns 39 million dollars a year as a football star. KDB, who recently negotiated a new contract with Manchester City, 35 million dollars as a player on the pitch and an extra 4 million dollars off the field from endorsement deals.
Kevin De Bruyne has endorsement deals with 11 different brands, some of which include: Nike, McDonalds, Wow Hydrate, Credit Karma and Therabody.
9. Sadio Mane
Age: 32 | Club: Al Nassr | Nationality: Senegal | On-Field: $48 million • Off-Field: $4 million
How much does Sadio Mane earn as a player?
Sadio Mane has become one of the highest-paid footballers following his move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, after a short spell at Bayern Munich. As a major star and a highly recognized player, he was precisely the kind of talent the Saudi Pro League sought to bring in during the summer transfer window.
Like many others, Mane made the move to Saudi Arabia, driven by a lucrative financial package. Currently, Riyad Mahrez, another former Premier League star who joined the Saudi Pro League last summer, is the only African player earning more per week than Mane.
8. Mohamed Salah
Age: 32 | Club: Liverpool | Nationality: Egypt | On-Field: $35 million • Off-Field: $18 million
How much is Mohamed Salah earning at Liverpool?
Mohamed Salah continues to be a crucial player for Liverpool, with his contract positioning him among the Premier League’s highest earners and one of the highest paid footballers for 2024.
Liverpool has significantly benefited from Salah’s impact in recent years, and it’s hard to imagine the club’s success without his arrival in 2017.
With 53 million dollars per year in earnings, Mohamed Salah joins the list of the highest paid footballers in the world. The Liverpool forward, who renewed his contract at the club in 2022, earns 35 million dollars on the pitch and 18 million dollars from endorsement deals as well.
7. Vini jnr.
Age: 24 | Club: Real Madrid | Nationality: Brazil | On-Field: $40 million • Off-Field: $15 million
How much is Vinicius Jnr. paid?
Vinicius Jr. makes his debut on the highest paid footballers list following his increased net worth and brand value since his move to Los Blancos. Vini has been with Real Madrid since the age of 18 and has since developed into a dynamic goal-scorer, tallying 85 goals in 273 appearances across all competitions for the club.
He has also emerged as a highly marketable player, enjoying significant popularity in Latin America. The Brazilian star currently holds 11 endorsement deals, including partnerships with brands like Sony’s PlayStation, Pepsi, and Clear shampoo. These endorsements complement a contract he discreetly signed in 2022, which keeps him with Real Madrid until 2027.
6. Erling Haaland
Age: 24 | Club: Manchester City | Nationality: Norway | On-Field: $46 million • Off-Field: $14 million
How Much Does Erling Haaland Earn As A Player?
Following an unexpected move to the premier league side, Manchester City, from Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland holds the number 6 position on this list.
The 22-year-old Norwegian who is the highest goalscorer in the league for the 2022/2023 season, earns a sum of 60 million dollars per year.
Haaland earns an estimated 450,000 dollars per week in Manchester City in wages and an overall salary of 46 million dollars per year. The forward also makes a sum of 14 million dollars in endorsements as well.
5. Kylian Mbappe
Age: 25 | Club: Real Madrid | Nationality: France | On-Field: $70 million • Off-Field: $20 million
How much is Kylian Mbappe earning at Real Madrid?
Following his free transfer to Real Madrid which saw him forgo an earning of 110 million dollars on the pitch and 18 million dollars off it, Kylian Mbappe drops to the 5th highest paid footballer in the world for 2024.
The French international with the finalisation of his move for the 2024/2024 season to Santiago Bernabeu saw a shift in his earnings to 70 million dollars on the pitch and 20 million dollars in sponsorships and endorsements according to Forbes.
Mbappe might however experience a change once again in his earnings by 2025 if he wins his lawsuit against PSG over $60 million in unpaid wages filed by his team in 2024.
4. Karim Benzema
Age: 36 | Club: Al Ittihad | Nationality: France | On-Field: $100 million • Off-Field: $4 million
How much is Karim Benzema earning in the Saudi pro-league?
Karim Benzema joins the list of the highest paid footballers for the year 2024 following his lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League which saw him receive a staggering earning of 100 million dollars on the pitch according to Forbes.
The former French international who announced his retirement from football at the national level at the 2022 World Cup tournament also earns 4 million dollars from sponsorships and endorsement deals.
His wages increased following his contract renegotiations with PSG in May 2021.
3. Neymar
Age: 32 | Club: Al Hilal | Nationality: Brazil | On-Field: $80 million • Off-Field: $30 million
How much does Neymar earn in Sauid Arabia?
The highest goalscorer of all time for Brazil, Neymar Jr., with over 110 million dollars in earnings, holds the number 3 position on the list. The Al Hilal star earns 80 million dollars in wages per year on the pitch as a star, and with over 30 endorsement deals, the Brazilian earns 30 million dollars off the pitch as well.
His contract with Al Hilal is said to include perks such as access to a private jet, a fleet of luxury vehicles, a mansion for his staff, and permission to live with his girlfriend, which would typically be restricted under Islamic law. This contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024/2025 season.
2. Lionel Messi
Age: 37 | Club: Inter Miami | Nationality: Argentina | On-Field: $60 million • Off-Field: $75 million
Is Lionel Messi the highest paid footballer?
World cup 2022 winner with Argentina and PSG star Lionel Messi with over 135 million dollars per year, holds the number two spot on the highest paid footballers list following his move to Inter Miami in the 2022/2023 season.
The Argentine star earns 60 million dollars on the pitch and earns 75 million dollars off it as well; taking into consideration his popularity, a single picture of him and Cristiano Ronaldo released in 2022 by Louis Vuttion had shocked the football world, and many could not help but speculate how much it would have cost LV to make it happen.
He also established his own production company, 525 Rosario, named after his hometown in Argentina and the address of his family residence.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 39 | Club: Al Nassr | Nationality: Portugal | On-Field: $220 million • Off-Field: $65 million
How Much Does Cristiano Ronaldo Earn As A Player?
A move that surpassed the expectations of many in terms of the finances invested by Al Nassr to facilitate the movement of the Portuguese international to the Saudi Arabian side; captain of Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo, was propelled into the number one spot among the richest footballers in the world list. A deal worth 285 million dollars became the highest and the biggest in football history.
Ronaldo reportedly earns over 220 million dollars on the pitch and a huge sum of over 65 million dollars off the pitch as well.
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