Highest-paid football players in 2023: Cristiano Ronaldo reigns supreme, Messi barely makes half that. What does the top 11 look like?

Forbes regularly publishes rankings focusing on the earnings of athletes. On Friday, thanks to the traditional magazine, we were able to find out who are the highest paid football players on the planet in 2023. Who is in the top eleven highest earners and will we find any surprises?

They may no longer be in Europe, but Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the highest paid footballers on the planet in 2023.

While Ronaldo is now rocking the jersey of Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, Messi is living the fairytale at Inter Miami and Neymar is getting to grips with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal.

According to Forbes magazine, the star Portuguese earns $260 million a year, a sum in excess of $6.1 billion. The Argentine world champion and his long-time rival is a poor relation by comparison, earning barely half that.

Only Ronaldo comes in at more than $200 million. Other than Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé (PSG) and Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) are also between $100 million and $135 million.

There is one more player outside Europe in the top 11 earners. The eighth position is occupied by Sadio Mané, a teammate of Ronaldo.

It is worth noting that in 2022 this ranking was dominated by Mbappé, who then earned the same amount that Messi boasts this year ($128 million). Compared to last year, however, the star Frenchman has slightly deteriorated.

The highest paid footballers in 2023

Source: Forbes, Football-España