Who’s Paying Footballers these Days? Spoilers: Not You!
June 22, 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: Well, folks, Kevin De Bruyne was spotted waving after a match recently. Perhaps he was waving goodbye to all of our hopes and dreams of making a fortune in football. And hey, what’s that sound? It’s the collective sigh of a million football fans realizing that, yes, he’s on the list of the world’s highest-paid players, but no—he’s by no means the star of the show. That title is still held by the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, if you’ve been hiding under a rock or, you know, not glancing at Forbes Magazine over your morning coffee, here’s the gist: Ronaldo stands atop the football earnings kingdom with an absolutely ludicrous 263 million euros a year. To put that into perspective, that’s like winning the Lottery every week for the rest of your life if you’re a fan of squandering your winnings on overpriced avocado toast.
Ronaldo’s financial buffet comes from various sources—220 million in salary and an eye-watering 43 million from endorsements. I reckon his endorsement deals probably pay him enough to cover his hair gel budget for the year. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi—bless his heart—is hanging in second place. The World Cup winner celebrated by investing 125 million euros, which is just enough to buy a small island, or at least a very questionable art piece he’ll claim to love. The football world is a wild mix of riches beyond belief, and Messi takes home 55 million euros with an extra 70 million bloated from all his sponsorships.
But wait, there’s more! Neymar slides into third place with a neat 101 million euros. Then we see a bunch of Saudis adding to their portfolios: Karim Benzema earns a cozy 96 million, while Kylian Mbappé rounds out the European exile in fifth place with 83 million. Just like Hogwarts, but instead of magic, they’ve got an endless supply of cash thanks to all these new Saudi clubs snapping up players like they’re Pokémon cards!
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia) – 263 million euros.
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, USA) – 125 million euros.
- Neymar (Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia) – 101 million euros.
- Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad, Saudi Arabia) – 96 million euros.
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, Spain) – 83 million euros.
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, England) – 55 million euros.
- Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid, Spain) – 51 million euros.
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England) – 49 million euros.
- Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia) – 48 million euros.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, England) – 36 million euros.
And where does our dear Kevin De Bruyne fit into all of this? He’s cruising in at 10th place with a respectable—but let’s be real, still a bit pathetic—36 million euros. Can you imagine all that talent and still just being a number among the giants? It’s like being the tallest person at a dwarf convention.
Now, before you roll your eyes at De Bruyne’s measly 36 million, let’s also remember that some of us might not make that *in a lifetime,* working our backsides off in a 9-5. Come on, the only way anyone could fathom this money is if they took the number of hours worked by a regular employee and multiplied it by the wrong lottery ticket drawn before breakfast!
The funny thing is, being “only” 10th is probably going to keep Kevin up at night as he lays in bed, clutching a pillow stuffed with notes—“What do I have to do to earn more?” Maybe adding a TikTok dance or two to his repertoire might help? Because let’s face it, the desperation to keep up with the titans of football income is palpable.
In conclusion, if there’s anything to take away from this paradoxical hierarchy of wealth in football, it’s this: If you’re not playing in Saudi Arabia, you might as well be a mere spectator, watching from the sidelines as the cash floods in like the River Nile during monsoon season. So, the next time you catch De Bruyne waving on the pitch, just know he’s probably waving hello to his staggering bank account while being ever-so-slightly envious of those who have “won” at the money game.
June 22, 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne waves after the game. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the ten highest-paid players in the world, according to a Forbes magazine ranking. However, the Belgian is a far cry from Cristiano Ronaldo, who is by far the highest-paid footballer in the world.
Like every year, Forbes has published its ranking of the highest paid soccer players in the world. And unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo is at the top by a wide margin. Thanks to his high-paying contract with Al-Nassr, the Portuguese earns 263 million euros per year, if you take into account his advertising and promotion income in addition to his annual salary (220 million).
That’s more than double compared to the runner-up in this ranking, who is still Lionel Messi. The World Cup winner may not have one of the highest annual salaries: he earns 55 million euros in Miami, but the Argentine’s other earnings, estimated at 70 million euros, put him in second place. Neymar completes the podium with an estimated annual earnings of 101 million euros, just ahead of Karim Benzema (96).
Only in fifth place is there a player who plays in Europe: Kylian Mbappé earns 83 million euros, according to Forbes. Kevin De Bruyne is the only Belgian in the top 10. He is in tenth place with an estimated annual income of 36 million euros.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia) – 263 million euros.
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, USA) – 125 million euros.
- Neymar (Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia) – 101 million euros.
- Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad, Saudi Arabia) – 96 million euros.
- Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, Spain) – 83 million euros.
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City, England) – 55 Million Euro.
- Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid, Spain) – 51 million euros.
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England) – 49 Million Euros.
- Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia) – 48 million euros.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, England) – 36 million euros
