Football is thrilling has high stakes, and the talent is worth every penny! In this article, we delve into the sport’s elite echelons to unveil the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world.
Beyond the deafening noise of the stadiums and the thunderous cheers of committed followers, there is a wealthy field where extraordinary abilities attract sky-high salaries.
These footballing titans, who range from superstar attackers who deftly defy the laws of physics to graceful midfield maestros plucking the strings, have reinvented the whole idea of athletic superstardom in addition to leaving their names in the annals of sporting history.
That said, get ready to explore the lavish lifestyles and jaw-dropping net worths of the world’s highest-paid footballers, for they are not just athletes but global icons who’ve mastered the game both on and off the pitch.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Footballers In The World
Below is a table of the highest-paid footballers in the world in 2023, per Forbes:
| Rank | Name | Club | Salary (£/year) | Endorsements (£/year) | Total Earnings (£/year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | 173m | 90m | 263m |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 100m | 30m | 130m |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 42m | 55m | 97m |
| 4 | Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain | 53m | 30m | 83m |
| 5 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 35m | 25m | 60m |
| 6 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 27m | 20m | 47m |
| 7 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 35m | 15m | 50m |
| 8 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 25m | 15m | 40m |
| 9 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid | 27m | 15m | 42m |
| 10 | Andres Iniesta | Vissel Kobe | 31m | 5m | 36m |
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid footballer in the world; he is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and captains the Portugal national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and is the all-time leading scorer for both the Portugal national team and the men’s Champions League.
He has won five Ballon d’Or awards, the most by a European player, and is the only player to win the award four times consecutively. Ronaldo has also won seven league titles in three different countries, five Champions League titles, and one UEFA European Championship. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League (140 goals), the European Championship (14 goals), and the UEFA Nations League (11 goals).
2. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the France national team.
Mbappé is the second-highest-paid footballer in the world, with total earnings of £130m and is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world. The youngest player to score in a World Cup final, he has won the World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Mbappé is still only 23 years old, so it is likely that he will continue to be one of the highest-paid footballers in the world for many years to come. He is already a legend of the game, and he has the potential to become one of the greatest footballers of all time.
3. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and captains the Argentina national team.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Messi is a prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker. He holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assist in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).
Lionel Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672). He is third on our list of the top 10 highest-paid footballers.
4. Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, popularly known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Brazil national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world and is known for his dribbling, passing, and finishing ability. He won the Copa América with Brazil in 2019, and the FIFA Club World Cup with PSG in 2016 and 2020.
More so, Neymar is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, with over 150 million followers on social media. He is known for his flamboyant style of play and his love of partying.
Neymar is fourth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world in 2023. He is a global icon and has been featured in numerous commercials and advertisements.
5. Mohamed Salah
Another amazing player on our list of the highest-paid footballers in the world is Mohamed Salah; he is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Egypt national team.
Salah is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world and is known for his finishing, dribbling, and speed. He began his career in Egypt with El Mokawloon SC, before moving to Switzerland to join FC Basel in 2012.
He won the Swiss Super League title in his first season with Basel and was named the league’s player of the year. In 2014, he moved to Italy to join AS Roma, where he won the Coppa Italia in 2017. In 2017, he moved to Liverpool for a club-record fee of £43 million.
Salah has been a revelation at Liverpool, scoring over 150 goals in all competitions since his arrival. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018–19 and 2022–23 and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2018.
6. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team.
Lewandowski has won the Bundesliga Golden Boot a record seven times, and the European Golden Shoe in 2020–21. He has also won the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup with Bayern Munich.
Furthermore, he is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, with over 20 million followers on social media. Lewandowski is a prolific goalscorer and has scored over 600 goals for club and country.
He is also a creative playmaker and has provided over 200 assists in his career. Lewandowski is a true legend of the game, and he has the potential to become one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is a joy to watch on the pitch, and he is an inspiration to fans all over the world.
7. Erling Haaland
Erling Braut Haaland is a Norwegian football player who plays as a striker for the German club Borussia Dortmund and the Norwegian national team.
He is considered one of the most promising young players in the world and has been compared to players like Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane. Haaland is known for his physicality, speed, and goal-scoring ability.
Haaland began his career at Bryne FK, before moving to Molde FK in 2017. In Molde, he scored 20 goals in 30 appearances in his first season and was named the Eliteserien Young Player of the Year. In January 2019, Haaland was signed by RB Salzburg for €20 million and was also signed by Borussia Dortmund for €20 million. Haaland signed a five-year contract with Manchester City on July 1, 2022.
He has also won the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup.
8. Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne is another fantastic player on our list of the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world in 2023. He is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and captains the Belgium national team.
De Bruyne is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world and is known for his passing, dribbling, and shooting ability.
Furthermore, De Bruyne began his career at Genk, before being bought by Chelsea in 2012. He played for Chelsea for two seasons, before being loaned out to Werder Bremen in 2014. In 2015, he was bought by Wolfsburg, where he played for three seasons.
In 2018, De Bruyne was bought by Manchester City for a transfer fee of £75 million. He has been a key player for Manchester City since he joined the club, and has won one Champion League, four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and two Community Shields. He has also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award twice, in 2019 and 2022.
9. Eden Hazard
Eden Michael Hazard is a Belgian professional footballer who formerly played as a winger or attacking midfielder for Real Madrid and captains the Belgium national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and is known for his creativity, dribbling, passing, and goalscoring ability.
Hazard began his career at Lille, where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2011 and 2012. He then moved to Chelsea in 2012 for a fee of £32 million. He won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2015 and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year. He also won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2013 and 2019.
In 2019, Hazard moved to Real Madrid for a fee of €100 million. He has won the La Liga title with Real Madrid in 2020, and the Supercopa de España in 2020 and 2022.
Hazard’s time at Real Madrid was marred by injuries, and he was unable to consistently perform at his best. He made 66 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and providing 10 assists.
10. Andres Iniesta
And finally, Andres Iniesta is the last on our list of the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world; he is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Japanese club Vissel Kobe and captains the Spain national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and is known for his passing, dribbling, vision, and creativity. Iniesta retired from Barcelona in 2018 and joined Vissel Kobe in Japan. He is still a key player for Kobe and is helping to lead the club to its first J1 League title.
Iniesta began his career at La Masia, the youth academy of Barcelona, in 1999. He made his first-team debut in 2002 and quickly became a key player for the club. He won numerous trophies with Barcelona, including nine La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and six Copa del Rey titles.
Conclusion
The players mentioned above are just a few of the many talented footballers who are currently playing the game. They are all at the top of their game, and they are all capable of producing moments of magic that will be remembered for years to come.
It is an exciting time to be a football fan, and it will be interesting to see how these players develop in the years to come. They have the potential to become some of the greatest players of all time, and they will be sure to entertain fans all over the world.
