Ronaldo in the lead! Messi is no longer the highest paid footballer in the world, how are the others?

Lionel Messi is no longer the highest paid footballer on the planet and it’s been made possible by none other than the star Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo. How much does he currently earn and what does the rest of the ranking look like? There’s a name that will probably surprise you.

A few dozen hours ago, Forbes magazine published a ranking of the ten highest paid footballers of today. And we’ll start with the biggest hitter. Ronaldo, who recently returned to Manchester United, has replaced Messi in the top spot!

He’s being chased by his PSG teammates. After all, you can actually see for yourself. All amounts are, of course, in dollars.

1.Cristiano Ronaldo – $125 million

A legend, a phenomenon and a marketing star. Ronaldo will earn $70 million at Manchester United (counting salary including bonuses). However, his other 55 million comes from so-called Image Rights, or advertising.

Most notably, his partnerships with Nike, Herbalife, Clear. In addition, the thirty-six-year-old Portuguese has his own brand – CR7, whose range is still expanding. It should be noted that we can include not only underwear or perfumes, but also gyms and hotels.

Only three athletes in the world have a higher income from advertising than Ronaldo currently has. And we’d hazard a guess that you’ll hit all three. LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. The first two earn something in the region of 60 million, specifically LeBron 65 and Woods 60.

The Swiss tennis player, however, still holds the bar very high. His advertising income is $90 million. However, all three of them have something in common – this statistic is slowly decreasing. Whereas for Cristiano, Forbes magazine does not show any sign of any decline or decrease in income, quite the opposite.

2. Lionel Messi – USD 110 million

Ronaldo’s long-time rival dethroned. After a very dramatic summer, he finally left Barcelona after 21 years and headed to PSG. In France, Messi will earn $75 million (again, contract bonuses are included).

However, Image Rights will make him another 35 million. Last year, the legendary Argentine signed a three-year deal with the world-famous Budweiser brand. But that’s not the only partnership.

While Ronaldo already has a long-standing and thriving partnership with Nike, Messi can rely on their biggest competitor – Adidas! Yes, it seems that these two have to compete with each other in just about everything.

We will also see Lionel’s face on Pepsi products. He also has a major partnership with Jacobs & Co., a luxury watch company.

3. Neymar – $95 million

In the third position we find Neymar, who receives a salary of $75 million at PSG. However, his business is not as profitable as Messi’s or Ronaldo’s.

After a relatively quick and early termination of his contract with Nike (due to allegations of assault on Swoosh employees), the twenty-nine-year-old Brazilian signed with Puma.

He is also the third most popular athlete on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. In total, he is followed by over 284 million people. He recently struck a deal with the Tik-Tok platform, where he creates his exclusive content.

4. Kylian Mbappé – $43 million

Another member of the PSG squad. However, this is where we see the biggest drop in terms of the aforementioned amount. His salary terms go up to $28 million. In terms of advertising, Mbappé earns thirteen million.

However, at his age, he will generate more money than all three have managed to make before. He is also one of the youngest players to appear on the cover of a FIFA game. What’s more, he is guaranteed to be the face of the game next year, making him the first footballer since Ronaldo to be on the cover twice in a row.

5. Mohamed Salah – $41 million

At number 5 is Mohamed Salah (41 million USD – 25 million salary, 16 commercials). Interestingly, since he joined Liverpool, so-called hate crimes in the city containing racism have dropped by 16%.

6. Robert Lewandowski – $35 million

Sixth place – Robert Lewandowski. His income is split as follows::: 27 million salary and eight from advertising. In total, he earns USD 35 million. Like Ronaldo, he has launched the RL9 brand on the global market, which gives him a decent chance to increase his profits in the future.

His most famous collaboration is his partnership with Head & Shoulders. Otherwise, he still has a contract in place with Nike and mobile phone manufacturer Huawei.

7. Andrés Iniesta – USD 35 million

It’s very likely that you’re surprised by his placement. And if not, he is the only player in this ‘top ten’ who operates outside of Europe. Plus, he is, as they say, past his prime.

The Spanish midfielder signed a two-year contract with Japanese club Vissel Kobe in 2018. In April, the club’s management extended his contract even further, so he should now be with the team until 2023.

And how does the rest of the rankings look?

In eighth position is Paul Pogba (34 million USD – 27+7), ninth place belongs to Gareth Bale (32 million USD – 26+6) and the overall top ten is completed by Eden Hazard (29 million USD – 26+3).

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