Forbes recently released the list of 100 best paid athletes in the world. While earnings of all the stars have dropped due to the pandemic as Forbes reportedly claims.
Still these stars earn a load of money and so here are the Top 10 highest paid football players in the world right now.
10. Antoine Griezmann – $26.7m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $26.7m | $5.5m | $21.2m |
Like many of his peers, Griezmann suffered a slight drop in earnings compared to last year’s alleged haul of $27.7m.
The Barcelona forward has a host of lucrative sponsorship deals with Puma, Head & Shoulders, Huawei, Gillette, Beats by Dre and watch brand HYT. This earned him $5.5m for the past year.
9. Oscar – $27.5m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $27.5m | $1.7m | $25.8m |
Three years after that shock transfer from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG, Oscar is still going strong in China.
The two-time Premier League winner is the highest-earner among his fellow footballers in all of East Asia and profited $27.5m this past year.
8. Paul Pogba – $28.5m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $28.5m | $5.5m | $23m |
Pogba suffered a big drop from his reported earnings in 2019, which yielded $33m in comparison. His lowered wages at Manchester United are the reason behind it. The club paid him $29m last year, which is $6m less than in 2020.
Although the World Cup winner’s endorsement income has grown by $1.5m, Adidas are his biggest sponsors, having tied him down to a 10-year deal in 2016 worth around $40m.
7. Mesut Ozil – $28.7m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $28.7m | $5.5m | $23.2m |
The German playmaker may not be having the best time at Arsenal, but at least his salary makes it worthwhile.
After losing Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United in January 2018, Arsenal made Ozil their highest-paid player in history on a whooping £350,000-per-week and £18.2m annually.
6. Andres Iniesta – $29.6m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $29.6m | $3m | $26.6m |
The Barcelona legend has been playing Japanese football since 2018 for Vissel Kobe.
His old Blaugrana teammates David Villa, Thomas Vermaelen and Sergi Samper have all linked up with him over the last two years. This has helped Iniesta win two trophies in East Asia.
5. Kylian Mbappe – $33.8m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $33.8m | $13m | $20.8m |
Mbappe is one of the most in-demand football players around the world following his exploits over the last few years. Therefore, Paris Saint-Germain have tied him down on a lucrative contract.
The 21-year-old’s biggest sponsorship deal is with Nike. In fact, he signed a new lucrative deal with the American firm in 2017 before joining PSG. Rumour has it he turned down a €5m offer to switch to rivals Adidas at the same time.
4. Mohamed Salah – $35.1m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $35.1m | $12m | $23.1m |
Salah’s sensational rise continues, with the Liverpool man now the fourth best-paid football player on $35.1m.
Much of the 27-year-old’s earnings came from endorsement deals, which include Vodafone, Uber and Falken Tires. He’s also endorsed Adidas products in the past.
3. Neymar – $95.5m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $95.5m | $25m | $70.5m |
The world-record signing has shown glimpses of his old self this season for Paris Saint-Germain. While his injury woes are still a concern, it’s an improvement nonetheless.
Although life in his ‘Golden Prison’ has taken a hit financially. Compared to last year’s earnings of $105m, Neymar has lost $9.5m in 2020.
2. Lionel Messi – $104m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $104m | $32m | $72m |
Dropping down to second place with a $23m loss is Lionel Messi.
The coronavirus pandemic hit Barcelona hit hard, forcing the club’s players and staff to accept wage cuts. Forbes, therefore, claims that Messi took a $20m cut from his $92m salary from last year.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – $105m
| Total | Endorsements | Salary/Winnings |
| $105m | $45m | $60m |
Leapfrogging his rival as the world’s highest-paid football player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite taking a big pay cut following his transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018, the Portugal captain still bags a sweet income. His lucrative sponsorship deals are the key reason behind this.
As perhaps the world’s most famous footballer, Ronaldo is never short of offers. Nike, Tag Heuer, Clear Haircare, EA Sports, Herbalife and DAZN have all worked with him in the past.
So these are the top 10 highest paid football players in the world right now.
[email-subscribers-form id=”1″]
