Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta in top 10 world's highest-paid footballers
Top 10 highest-paid footballers
Cristiano Ronaldo reclaimed the top spot in the list of the world's highest-paid football players from Lionel Messi, according to Forbes.
Forbes has compiled the list after speaking with clubs, players' agents, commercial sponsors and worldwide football experts.
Take a look at the top 10 world's highest-paid football players:
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - $125 million
Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Lionel Messi as the highest-paid footballer in the world, according to the rankings released by Forbes in September, 2021.
The 36-year-old re-joined Ronaldo Man Utd from Juventus in August after 12 years away and is set to earn $125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonus for his return to United.
The rest will come from endorsements and partnerships with brands including Nike, Herbalife, Clear and his CR7 brand.
Forbes said Ronaldo, among the world's most popular athletes with over 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
#2 Lionel Messi - $110 million
Paris St Germain's star Lionel Messi, who topped the list last year, is placed at the second spot on the list.
Messi has moved from La Liga giants Barcelona to join Paris St Germain in August this year, ending his stay of over 21 years at the boyhood club.
At PSG, Messi will be paid $75 million this season, which has put him at No. 2 on the list with $110 million and will pad his paycheck with an estimated $35 million in endorsements from brands like Adidas, Pepsi, watchmaker Jacobs & Co. and Budweiser.
#3 Neymar - $95 million
Brazilian football player Neymar, who in May signed a new contract with PSG until 2025, is third on the list with total earnings of $95 million.
After an early exit with Nike, Neymar signed a deal with Puma that has celebrated his flashy style. He debuted a "creativity collection" of shoes and apparel in loud colour schemes this March.
#4 Kylian Mbappe - $43 million
Three spots on the list of the world's five highest-paid players have been claimed by PSG players as Kylian Mbappe is at number 4 with total earnings of $43 million.
The 2021-22 season is the last on the current contract between PSG and the 22-year-old Frenchman, who recently turned down a contract extension.
#5 Mohamed Salah - $41 million
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is at number five on the list of highest-paid footballers with total earnings of $41 million.
The 29-year-old has been among Premier League's top scorers since arriving from Roma in 2017 and recently scored his 100th for his club and become the fastest to do so in the club's history.
#6 Robert Lewandowski - $35 million
Poland's Robert Lewandowski, who plays for German club Bayern Munich, is at number 6 on the list of the world's highest-paid footballers with a total earning of $35 million.
The 33-year-old Lewandowski has launched his RL9 brand of clothing, adding to his endorsement earnings from Nike, Huawei and Head & Shoulders.
#7 Andres Iniesta - $35 million
The Spanish player Andres Iniesta has returned as the only player from a non-European team in the list of the world's highest-paid footballers in 2021.
The 37-year-old Iniesta landed at the number 7th spot with total earnings of $35 million after signing a two-year contract extension with Vissel Kobe in Japan, his club since he left La Liga club Barcelona in 2018.
#8 Paul Pogba - $34 million
Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba is another Manchester United player on the list of the world's highest-paid footballers. The French international is placed at the number 8th spot with total earnings of $34 million.
Forbes also mentioned that the 28-year-old is in the middle of a ten-year shoe contract with Adidas that is worth an estimated $45 million.
#9 Gareth Bale - $32 million
The 32-year-old Gareth Bale, who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid, is at the 9th spot with total earnings of $32 million.
It is known that Bale has been linked with post-football links with golf and Forbes mentioned that he has been endorsing TaylorMade since 2020, even taking part in a full-day fitting on YouTube with the golf club maker.
#10 Eden Hazard - $29 million
Another Real Madrid player on the list is Eden Hazard, who grabbed the 10th spot on the world's highest-paid footballers with a total earning of $29 million.
The Belgian international joined Madrid in 2019 as the Spanish club paid Chelsea $118 million for a five-year contract.
Hazard endorses brands like McDonald’s in his native Belgium and he also has deals with Nike and Nissan.
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