Soccer, or football in many parts of the world, is the most popular sport in the world, with billions of fans around the globe. It’s also a lucrative business with well-known professional leagues in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Even average players in these leagues can earn millions of dollars per year, while the best players in the world command more than $100 million—especially now with clubs in Saudi Arabia looking to lure world-class players away from Europe with massive contracts.
Below are five of the highest-paid soccer players in the world as of August 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo
A 38-year-old Portuguese striker who is arguably among the most skilled goal scorers of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a landmark deal with Saudi club Al Nassr in January 2023. He became the highest-paid player in English Premier League (EPL) history in 2021 when he left Italian club Juventus to sign with Manchester United. However, his second stint with United ended with both parties agreeing to terminate the contract early.
Despite limited interest among European clubs, Ronaldo is now earning more than $200 million per year in Saudi Arabia. He is signed to the Riyadh club through the 2025 season and is making more than $1 million per week, a raise of more than $400,000 per week from what he made with United. He will play a major role in helping further develop the sport of soccer in Saudi Arabia, which plans to bid for the right to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or as the best soccer player in the world and has more goals than any other player in the sport’s history. He’s also an international icon with a larger social media following than any other athlete; he has more than 525 million followers on Instagram alone.
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is another veteran soccer player that recently left Europe for Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old French striker, a two-time recipient of La Liga Best Player and 2021-22 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, signed with defending Saudi champions Al-Ittihad prior to the 2023-24 season and will earn $222 million per year through 2025 with an option for 2026. In addition to his playing salary, Benzema is earning millions of dollars to serve as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid.
“It now feels the time is right for a new challenge and project,” Benzema told Al Jazeera, after acknowledging how fortunate he’d been with his achievements in Spain. Benzema spent the last 14 seasons with Real Madrid and is also a former Ballon d’Or winner.
Lionel Messi
A longtime rival of Ronaldo for the status of greatest player in the world, Lionel Messi is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and nine-time La Liga MVP. He recently led Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, cementing his status as one of the greatest players of all time. Like Ronaldo and Benzema, Messi also signed a landmark contract in 2023, joining Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami in the U.S. Despite earning less in salary than what he received with French club Paris Saint-Germain, he is still the highest paid player in MLS and expected to earn $150 million through the next two seasons in a deal that includes endorsement deals with Adidas and Apple.
Before signing with Miami, Messi turned down a $400 million offer to play for Saudi club Al-Hilal. However, he is still being paid $25 million by Saudi Arabia over the next three years as part of a tourism ambassador deal. Messi has made $1.28 billion in career earnings as of 2023, according to Forbes.
Neymar Jr.
Along with Ronaldo and Benzema, Neymar Jr. is one of three major soccer stars to recently depart for Saudi Arabia. After missing out on Messi and French striker Kylian Mbappé, Al-Hilal signed the 31-year-old Brazilian star to a massive $300 million contract. Neymar Jr. could earn as much as $400 million through commercial endorsements through his two-year contract with the club. In addition to paying his salary, Al-Hilal reportedly gifted Neymar Jr. three luxury vehicles, access to a private jet, and a new 25-room home staffed with five full-time workers.
Neymar Jr. has been plagued by injuries throughout his career but, when healthy, is among the best strikers in the world. He won five Ligue 1 titles with PSG and scored 118 goals in 173 matches after signing with the club for a then-record 222 million euros in 2017.
Kylian Mbappé
Despite turning down an offer from Al-Hilal, Mbappé is still among the world’s highest-paid soccer players. The 24-year-old PSG striker ranked third behind Messi and Ronaldo in Forbes‘ 2023 list of the highest-paid athletes for the 12-month period from May 2022 to May 2023 with an estimated $120 million in salary and endorsement deals.
Mbappé turned down a record $1.1 billion offer from Al-Hilal, which also agreed to pay PSG a record $332 million transfer fee. His contract with PSG expires in 2024 and it is believed he will sign with Real Madrid.