Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ List of Highest-Paid Footballers for 2025
Madrid, Spain – Cristiano Ronaldo leads the world’s highest-paid footballers for the 2025 season, according to a new ranking released by Forbes magazine. The Al-Nassr striker is projected to earn €260 million during the 2025-2026 campaign, comprised of €200 million from his salary and €60 million from endorsements.
The list, which estimates combined earnings of approximately €808 million for the top ten players, reveals a shift in the landscape of football finances. While the collective total represents a nearly 4% decrease from the previous year, largely due to Neymar Jr.’s absence from the ranking after returning to Santos, younger players are increasingly prominent.
Hear’s a look at the top ten highest-paid footballers, according to Forbes:
- cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr): €260 million (€200M salary / €60M endorsements)
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami): €135 million (€65M salary / €70M endorsements)
- Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad): €89 million (€60M salary / €29M endorsements)
- Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain): €81 million (€60M salary / €21M endorsements)
- erling Haaland (Manchester City): €68 million (€58M salary / €10M endorsements)
- Vinicius Jr (real Madrid): €51 million (€41M salary / €10M endorsements)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): €47 million (€37M salary / €10M endorsements)
- Sadio Mané (Al Nassr): €46 million (€36M salary / €10M endorsements)
- Jude Bellingham (real Madrid): €37 million (€27M salary / €10M endorsements)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona): €31 million (€21M salary / €10M endorsements)
LaLiga boasts the most representation with four players – Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr.,and Yamal – while the Saudi Pro League features three: Ronaldo,Benzema,and Mané. The Premier League is represented by Haaland and Salah, and Messi is the sole MLS player on the list.
Notably, five of the ten highest-paid players are 29 years old or younger, marking the highest proportion as 2020. The average age of the list has also fallen to its lowest level in five years, influenced by the inclusion of 18-year-old Lamine Yamal and 22-year-old Jude Bellingham.
