PSG forward, Kylian Mbappe has just overtaken both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world’s richest footballer, with the French international’s annual earnings now passing the £116m mark.
The annual athlete’s rich list, published earlier this year by Forbes had named Messi and Ronaldo as the two highest earners in football, but that all looks set to change heading into 2023.
This comes after the recent reports that Ronaldo turned down an opportunity to join Saudi Arabian side, Al-Hilal this summer in a move that would have almost doubled his annual earnings.
A recently-signed bumper new deal at PSG means that Mbappe’s new status as the world’s richest footballer will come as a surprise to very few. However, plenty more players still earn more in off-the-field endorsements.
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With this in mind, Betting.com has shared the names of the world’s ten wealthiest footballers, taking into account both their annual on-field and off-field earnings.
Kylian Mbappe – £116m
A groundbreaking new deal with PSG means that Kylian Mbappe now earns £95.7m annually from footballer’s wages alone.
A further £20.3m in sponsorships and endorsements means that Mbappe is now the highest-earning footballer in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo – £104.9m
Mbappe’s pay rise was not welcome news to everyone, least of Cristiano Ronaldo, who lost his place at the top of the footballer’s rich list.
However, the Manchester United striker still holds on to one title, as with 483m followers, he is the most popular athlete on Instagram.
Lionel Messi – £102.1m
The Messi versus Ronaldo debate has fuelled football for almost two decades, and both players are still at the top of their game.
However, PSG forward Messi has to settle for second best in the race to be the world’ richest footballer, with his annual earnings falling 2.8m short of Ronaldo.
Neymar – £84.5m
If you were wondering how rich PSG’s owners really were, three of the top four wealthiest footballers in the world all play for the French club.
With £84.5m in the bank annually, surely Neymar won’t mind being slightly behind his teammates Messi and Mbappe in wages.
Mohamed Salah – £36.6m
With Salah being the fifth-highest paid footballer in the world, but still earning £47.9m less annually than fourth-placed Neymar, the gap between the very world’s richest and the rest of the football scene is clear.
Not only does Liverpool forward, Salah take home £22.7m a year in wages, but as the face of Egyptian football he earns an extra £13.9m on top annually.
Eden Hazard – £29m
Being the highest earner at a club the size of Real Madrid is a huge statement, however since joining in 2019, Eden Hazard is still waiting for his career in Spain to truly get going.
The Belgian forward earns the vast majority of his cash on the pitch, with just £2.3m of his annual earnings coming from sponsorships and endorsements.
Andres Iniesta – £27.8m
Most football fans would be forgiven for thinking that Spanish football legend, Andres Iniesta had retired from playing.
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However, the 38-year-old is still going strong at Japenese side, Vissel Kobe, and is in fact the seventh world’a richest footballer.
Raheem Sterling – £27.3m
Sterling sent shockwaves through the Premier League this summer as he made the switch from Manchester City to Chelsea.
The move paid off for Sterling’s finances, as with £27.3m in the bank he is officially the highest paid Englishman in football.
Kevin de Bruyne – £26.9m
The second Belgium international to appear in the top ten richest footballer’s list, Kevin de Bruyne is also the highest paid player at famously wealthy, Manchester City.
Like his Belgian counterpart, Hazard, the majority of de Bruyne’s earnings come on the pitch, with just £3.2m of his annual takings coming from sponsorships and endorsements.
Antoine Griezmann – £25.5m
Currently stuck in a complicated loan situation between parent club, Barcelona and La Liga rivals, Atletico Madrid, Griezmann’s footballing career has taken an unexpected stall of late.
However, his finances remain safe, with the France international taking home £25.5m annually.
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