Cristiano Ronaldo’s lucrative contract and mega sponsorship deals have helped the star striker in claiming the top spot on Forbes’ list of highest-paid football players this year. It comes as absolutely no surprise to see Lionel Messi and Ronaldo compete for the top position both on and off the football pitch. The iconic footballing duo has ruled the significant portion of the last decade, winning Ballon d’Ors and several other prestigious awards. This time Ronaldo has emerged as a winner against his Argentine rival in terms of the annual earnings in salaries and sponsorship deals. According to Forbes, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker has earned $200 million in salaries and another $60 million off-field.
Lionel Messi occupies the second spot on this list with net earnings of $135 million last year. The FIFA World Cup winner reportedly earned around $66 million in salaries and around $70 million in terms of the off-field revenues.
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Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema are the three other players on the list to have earnings more than $100 million. This goes on to show the dominance of the Saudi Arabian clubs in terms of offering the most lucrative deals to the big footballing icons in the world. Premier League stars, including Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Liverpool forward Mohammed Salah, occupy the sixth and seventh spots on the list, respectively. While Sadio Mane, Kevin de Bruyne, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandoski round off the top 11.
Cristiano Ronaldo left European football in search of new challenges after Manchester United announced that the club had decided to part ways with their player last year. This announcement was made ahead of the Qatar World Cup after Ronaldo criticised his former club and coach in an interview with Piers Morgan. Ronaldo’s assumption of the throne for the world’s highest-paid footballer at the age of 38 speaks volumes about the longevity of the star forward’s career. Ever since he departed from Real Madrid, European success has eluded the five-time Champions League winner. After a disappointing stint at Juventus, he returned to Old Trafford. But his return to Manchester United was not quite fruitful. He was soon dropped off by coach Erik ten Hag, causing the star footballer to leave for Saudi Arabia in a multi-million-dollar deal.
Meanwhile, after failing to win the Champions League title with French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Messi sought to make history elsewhere as he moved to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami in the summer.
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