The richest soccer players in the world
Who are the 10 richest soccer players in the world in 2023? If you are a football lover, you surely know how much your favorite player earns. According to Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo earned the highest salary and bonuses at $125 million, followed by Lionel Messi with $110 million. Check out our list of the richest soccer players in the world 2023 here. This list is based on the players' total earnings during the year.
10. Eden Hazard - $29 million
Eden Michael Hazard plays as a winger or offensive midfielder for the Spanish club Real Madrid and is captain of the Belgian national team. He is known for his creativity, dribbling, ball control and passing. In 2019, Real Madrid paid Chelsea $118 million to sign Gareth Bale to a five-year contract that gives them the equivalent of $26 million in annual wages.
But the Belgium international struggled, losing 59 games in his first two seasons at the club. Off the pitch, Hazard is the poster boy for McDonald's in his native Belgium and works with Nike and Nissan. According to Forbes, Eden Michael Hazard is the tenth richest soccer player in the world in 2023. He earned $29 million in one year, salary and bonus.
- Total earnings: $29 million
- Salary: $26 million
- Endorsements: $3 million
09. Gareth Bale - $32 million
Gareth Frank Bale plays as a winger for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wing players of his generation and one of the greatest Welsh players of all time. Gareth Frank is one of the world's richest soccer players in 2023, earning $32 million in salary and bonuses.
Additionally, after falling out with his manager Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, Bale was loaned out to Tottenham last season. Also, Zidane's resignation at the end of the 2020–21 season after the club failed to win a trophy paved the way for Gareth to return to the Bernabeu for one final season on his current contract.
- Total earnings: $32 million
- Salary: $26 million
- Endorsements: $6 million
08. Paul Pogba - $34 million
Paul Pogba has a ten-year shoe deal with Adidas worth an estimated $45 million. Pogba is a French professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the French national team. He primarily works as a central midfielder, but can also be used as a left winger, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and playmaker.
Moreover, Pogba's performances at Juventus brought him back to Manchester United in 2016 for a then record transfer fee of €105 million. The fee wastop earnersof an English club at the time. In his first season he won the League Cup and the Europa League. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year in the 2018–19 season.
- Total earnings: $34 million
- Salary: $27 million
- Endorsements: $7 million
07. Andres Iniesta - $35 million
Andres Iniesta Lujan is one of the richest footballers in the world 2023. He is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captain for J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta spent most of his career at Barcelona, where he was captain for three seasons.
In addition, Iniesta Wiesel moved to Japan on a two-year contract with Kobe in 2018 after ending his 22-year stay with Barcelona. Since then, the midfielder has helped the club win the Emperor's Cup in 2019, qualify for the AFC Champions League for the first time and win the Japanese Super Cup in February 2020. Iniesta has been named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI nine times and has been named in the UEFA -team of the year six times.
- Total earnings: $35 million
- Salary: $31 million
- Endorsements: $4 million
06. Robert Lewandowski - $35 million
Robert Lewandowski is the captain of the Polish national team and plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Known for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, as well as one of the most decorated players in Bundesliga history. He scored over 600 goals in his senior career for club and country. Robert Lewandowski is the 6th richest soccer player in the world 2023. Lewandowski earned $35 million in one year.
Furthermore, the 33-year-old's contract expires in 2023, and his performance as German Player of the Year is fueling suitor rumors one by one. He fought for the title of the best player in the world, not only on the field but also off it, and he launched his clothing brand RL9, increasing his income from Nike, Huawei and Head & Shoulders endorsements.
- Total earnings: $35 million
- Salary: $27 million
- Endorsements: $8 million
05. Mohamed Salah - 41 millioner dollars
Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and captains the Egyptian national team. Salah began his senior career in 2010, playing for Al Mokawloon before moving to Basel in 2012, where he won two Swiss Superliga titles. In 2017, Salah was the subject of a football club record transfer at the time when he signed for Liverpool for £36.9 million, becoming the most expensive Egyptian footballer of all time.
Last October, he scored his 100th goal for his club, becoming the fastest player ever to do so. No other Premier League player has scored more goals in that time. He is considered one of the best players in the world, known for his skills, dribbling and speed. Salah is one of the richest soccer players in the world 2023.
- Total earnings: $41 million
- Salary: $25 million
- Endorsements: $16 million
04. Kylian Mbappe - $43 million
Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team. He is considered one of the best players in the world and is known for his dribbling, speed and finishing. Mbappe scored more career goals than either Ronaldo or Messi at his age. He earns more than his age suggests, partly because commercial sponsors saw his potential earlier.
In addition, EA Sports gave him a FIFA 21 solo cover, making him one of the youngest to do so. This year, it was announced that he would be returning as the face of FIFA 22, making him the first person since Cristiano Ronaldo to receive back-to-back covers. According to the total earnings during the year, Mbappe is one of the richest footballers in the world in 2023.
- Total earnings: $43 million
- Salary: $28 million
- Endorsements: $15 million
03. Neymar JR - 95 million dollars
Neymar is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He is considered a versatile player, capable of playing as a centre-forward, second striker, winger or the occasional attacking midfielder. Neymar is one of the third among the 10 richest soccer players in the world in 2023 with earnings of $95 million.
In addition, Neymar was sold to PSG in 2017 for a record transfer fee of $263 million, playing in the shadow of Messi at Barcelona, helping the club to their first Champions League final last year. Neymar, 29, has signed a four-year contract extension with the French capital until 2025 and remains one of the highest paid in the squad. A prolific goalscorer and renowned playmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world.
- Total earnings: $95 million
- Salary: $75 million
- Endorsements: $20 million
02. Lionel Messi - $110 million
It was the end of a glorious era when Barcelona announced that Messi would not continue with the club due to financial constraints in La Liga. In 21 years with the only team he has ever known, Messi scored 672 goals and had 268 assists on his way to 35 titles and 78 awards. Lionel AndresMessi is one of the so-calledrichest soccer players in the world 2023. He also earned $875 million in salaries and bonuses and $350 million in advertising, totaling over $1 billion in his career.
Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Boots and was named the 2020 Ballon d'Or. Messi has scored over 750 goals in his senior career for club and country, with the most goals scored by a single plays for a single club.
- Total earnings: $110 million
- Salary: $75 million
- Endorsements: $35 million
01. Cristiano Ronaldo - $125 million
Cristiano Ronaldo is the richest soccer player in the world 2023. He is a Portuguese professional soccer player who plays as a striker for the Premier League club Manchester United and is the captain of the Portugal national team. In his 18-year career, Ronaldo won 32 major trophies, including five UEFA Champions League titles, one UEFA European Championship for his native Portugal and seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, making him the first player to win titles in three countries. In early September, the 36-year-old set the record for top scorer in international football with his 110th net in his country's World Cup qualifying win over Ireland.
In addition, Ronaldo earned over $1 billion in his career before taxes, becoming the firstteam sportathlete in the world to achieve this feat. He is also one of the few players to have played over 1,100 career matches and scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country.
- Total earnings: $125 million
- Salary: $70 million
- Approvals: $55 million
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