Published: 04:29, 14 Oct 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to the top of the list of the highest-paid footballers in the world, which is compiled annually by the American business magazine Forbes. The 38-year-old Portuguese has retaken the throne after his lucrative transfer to Al-Nassr, surpassing Kylian Mbappé with an astronomical salary of 247 million euros.
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In 2021, the year of his transfer from Juventus to Manchester United, Ronaldo was already the highest earner in global football with an estimated annual income of 125 million dollars (about 119 million euros). Mbappé then dethroned the Portuguese, but the star of Paris Saint-Germain is now only in fourth place with an estimated annual salary of 105 million euros.
The leader of a new generation of potential Ballon d'Or winners has to give way again on Forbes' financial list to The Big Three from the previous generation. Besides Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are also expected to earn more in 2023. After his transfer from PSG to Inter Miami, Messi will pocket around 128 million euros, while Neymar will earn 107 million at Al-Hilal.
It is clear that the financially powerful clubs from Saudi Arabia have turned the players' market upside down. With Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané, two more stars are in the top who left Europe last summer. The list is completed by Premier League stars Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, and Kevin De Bruyne, and top strikers Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski.
Updated: 04:29, 14 Oct 2023
