Highest Paying Soccer Player, Ronaldo: Forbes

World’s top soccer players trade the spots of the highest-earning footballer, and Cristiano Ronaldo earns the top position while Lionel Messi settles for second. 

Recently the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo made a buzz on the internet for joining England’s Manchester United, ditching Juventus. Despite this, the player predominates the highest paying soccer players on the Fanatics sports merchandise site.

According to the Forbes list of the highest paying soccer players, Ronaldo leapfrogs the Paris Saint-Germain’s player, Lionel Messi, with $125M.

The Argentina player who recently joined PSG, leaving behind twenty-one years of contract with Barcelona, earned the second spot on the list with $110M.  

Ronaldo earning colossal from endorsements 

With a fierce following over social media platforms such as Instagram (344 million) and Facebook (149 million), Ronaldo successfully secured the top position in Forbes over Messi.

Besides $70 million from salary, Ronaldo is all set to receive a bonus from United for delivering Premier League titles and Champion League crown consecutively for three years, between 2003 and 2009.

Moreover, the personal endorsements and partnerships with renowned brands such as Nike, Herbalife, Clear, and CR7 add a considerable chunk to his fortune.

According to the sources, Nike pays around $20 million to Ronaldo per year, hence the most significant patron for the player.

Other athletes earning maximum from commercials include Roger Federer ($90 million), LeBron James ($65 million) and Tiger Woods ($60 million).

The unstoppable Ronaldo entered the Manchester United Old Trafford by smashing four goals in three games. 

Ronaldo finished the last season with Juventus, earning the best player in the European Championship and the top goal scorer in Series A.

Manchester United celebrated the return of Cristiano in Old Trafford. The player shares a commendable history with Manchester between 2003 and 2009, where he scored 118 goals in 292 games.  

The legendary player has won 32 major trophies, including prominent UEFA Champions League titles, seven league titles in England, Italy, and Spain, making him the first-ever player to win from three countries.

Recently he also broke the record of highest goal scorer in international soccer. No doubt that the player earned the highest spot with his awe-inspiring achievements.  

Messi’s big money via past achievements and endorsements 

It was a heartfelt moment for the whole world when Messi exited Barcelona. The iconic player has played 778 games for the Catalan club for more than two decades, scoring 672 goals. The financial hurdles between Messi and Barcelona compelled the player to leave.  

Nevertheless, according to the sources, the Paris Saint-Germain welcomed Lionel Messi and offered a $41 million annual net salary in two years of the contract. Moreover, the player often earns wealth through endorsement.

Messi endorses prominent brands such as Adidas, Gatorade, Pepsi, and Budweiser. As per reports, Adidas pays $18 million annually. Messi’s achievements have been a significant catalyst for his prosperous salary.

In twenty-one years of his career, he won 35 titles and 78 awards, including a record six Ballon d’Or trophies for the sport’s best player. Moneywise, he earned a stupendous $875 million salary and $350 million via endorsements. 

Following Lionel Messi, Neymar is the third highest paying soccer player with $95 million. In May 2021, Neymar signed a four-year contract with the French club Paris Saint-Germain, extending till 2025.

Neymar also marked the biggest individual sports deal with Puma last year. According to Forbes, Puma offered a colossal $29.1 million to Neymar for the agreement.   

At present, three world’s highest-paid soccer players play for PSG, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, with $95 million, succeeding twenty-two years old Kylian Mbappe with earnings of $43 million.

Liverpool’s twenty-nine years old legend Mohamed Salah at fifth position with $41 million.

The list continues with Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich at the sixth position with $35 million and Andres Iniesta from Vissel Kobe with $35 million.