The recent major investments made by the Saudi Arabian Pro League in football have led to a major change in the list of the highest-earning football players. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo once again took the top spot as the highest-paid player in world football with 263 million euros earned throughout 2024. Ronaldo, who is at the top of the “World’s Highest-Paid Football Players” list published every year by Forbes magazine, earned a large income with the salary he received from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr club.
203 million euros of the 263 million euros Ronaldo earns throughout 2024 comes from his salary at Al Nassr. The remaining 60 million euros were obtained from sponsorship agreements and social media revenues. Ronaldo’s newly opened YouTube channel attracted attention by breaking the record for the fastest channel to reach one million subscribers.
Second on the list is Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami. While Messi earned 69 million euros from sponsorship and other income sources in 2024, his salary on the field remained at 55.2 million euros. Although Ronaldo’s off-field earnings were lower than Messi’s, the pay gap put him at the top of the list.
The influence of Saudi Arabian clubs on football was clearly seen in this year’s list of the highest-paid football players. Four of the players in the top 10 receive high salaries from clubs in the Middle East. Neymar ranked third with an income of 101.2 million euros, thanks to the salary he received from Al Hilal. Former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema rose to fourth place, leaving Kylian Mbappé behind with the 96 million euros he earned in Al Ittihad. Mbappé will earn 83 million euros this year as he suffered a reduction in salary when moving from PSG to Real Madrid.
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland ranks 6th on the list of the highest-paid football players. Haaland earned a total of $60 million in 2024. Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior is in 7th place, earning $55 million with his success and sponsorship agreements at Real Madrid. Liverpool’s Egyptian star Mohamed Salah ranks 8th with $53 million, including sponsorships and salary. Sadio Mané, who was transferred to Saudi Arabia, ranks 9th with 52 million dollars with the salary and other income he earned in Al-Nassr. Manchester City’s Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne is ranked 10th on the list, with earnings of 39 million dollars.
