25 Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World 鈥 2024
August 15, 2024
Highest Paid Soccer Players – Like many Americans, I鈥檓 tepid on soccer. Although it鈥檚 not because I鈥檓 incapable of understanding and appreciating the beauty of the sport. After all, soccer is, by a huge margin, the . It鈥檚 just that soccer isn鈥檛 in my bones the same way, say, baseball is. I grew up swatting the wiffle ball over neighbors鈥 hedges, playing Little League for a squad named after a local grocery store, taking the train into the city to watch the Mets (mostly lose). Soccer just wasn鈥檛 on my radar鈥攗ntil I moved to Miami. Down here, soccer is a part of the city鈥檚 cultural fabric and we have the highest paid soccer player in the US). Everybody seems to be rocking an art-deco-pink Miami FC jersey.
Interested in playing college soccer at the Division 1, 2, or 3 levels one day? Check out our comprehensive sortable list of NCAA Men’s Soccer Teams and NCAA Women’s Soccer Teams.
Highest Paid Soccer Player (Continued)
The faces of the highest paid soccer players are plastered on downtown highrises and billboards overlooking the freeways. South Florida鈥檚 soccer enthusiasm can even turn into straight-up frenzy: in July, the Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium in Fort Lauderdale was delayed as thousands of unticketed to try to get a glimpse of the action.
When Lionel Messi signed a deal to join Inter Miami in 2023, the city seemed to descend into a state of idol-worship. Suddenly, Messi鈥檚 name was everywhere. His face was everywhere. Politicians were proclaiming Messi the . So I鈥檝e witnessed, firsthand, how impactful the highest paid soccer players can be. The top 10 highest paid soccer players combine to bring in $1.15 billion in a single year. Check out a list of the highest paid soccer players below.
Highest Paid Soccer Players 鈥 2024
25) Thomas M眉ller, Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) – $22.3 million
24) Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid (La Liga) – $22.7 million
23) Vin铆cius J煤nior, Real Madrid (La Liga) – $22.7 million
22) Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) 鈥 $22.8 million
21) Casemiro, Manchester United (Premier League) – $23.6 million
Highest Paid Soccer Player (Continued)
20) David Alaba, Real Madrid (La Liga) – $24 million
19) Marcelo Brozovic, Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League) – $26 million
18) Aymeric Laporte, Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League) – $26 million
17) N鈥橤olo Kante, Al-Ittihad (Saudi Pro League) – $27 million
16) Sergej Milinkovi膰-Savi膰, Al Hilal (Saudi Pro League) – $27 million
Soccer Salaries (Continued)
15) Aleksandar Mitrovi膰, Al Hilal (Saudi Pro League) – $27 million
14) Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona (La Liga) – $36 million
At age 35, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski should be in the twilight of his soccer career. But last season he scored 33 goals for Barcelona, so he doesn鈥檛 appear to be slowing down. According to soccer contract tracking site , Lewandowski鈥檚 current contract with Barcelona brings him an easy $36 million a year. And per Forbes, he鈥檚 entered into endorsement deals with heavyweight brands like Nike and Spotify.
Highest Paid Soccer Player (Continued)
13) Harry Kane, Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) – $36 million
Prolific English scorer Harry Kane made international news last year, when he left the Premier League (where he played for Tottenham Hotspur for more than a decade) for the Bundesliga, joining Bayern Munich on a 4-year deal with an average annual value of $27 million. And his resume certainly warrants that kind of bread. He鈥檚 England鈥檚 all-time leading goal scorer, and the second highest all-time goal scorer in Premier League history, behind only the legendary striker Alan Shearer. Kane was the top goal scorer at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a feat which earned him the revered Golden Boot.
Kane鈥檚 lucrative contract coupled with his off-the-field business acumen鈥擪ane recently entered into a partnership with merchandise and sports betting platform Fanatics鈥攎akes him one of the highest paid soccer players in the world.
12) Kalidou Koulibaly, Al-Hilal (Saudi Pro League) – $37.8 million
11) Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (Premier League) – $39 million
Soccer Salaries (Continued)
10) Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona (La Liga) – $40.8 million
Frenkie de Jong is one of the highest paid soccer players in the world, set to make over $40 million in base salary for the remaining two years of his contract with La Liga club Barcelona. The Dutch center midfielder is widely regarded as one of the best players at his position in the world.
9) Sadio Man茅, Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League) – $52 million
Senegalese forward Sadio Man茅 started his career with brief stints playing for Ligue 2 club Metz and Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. When he landed in the Premier League, at Southampton, he made roughly $3 million per year. Man茅 then proceeded to establish himself as one of the most dynamic scorers the sport has ever seen. And his earnings have increased accordingly. He was paid $24 million for his 2022-23 campaign with Bayern Munich, and last year he signed a deal with Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr worth $172 million over 4 years鈥攁n average annual value of $43.18 million. Man茅 makes millions off the field as well; in 2021, he signed a long-term deal with New Balance.
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8) Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (Premier League) – $53 million
Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah is held to be one of the most dominant players of his generation. He鈥檚 the captain of the Egyptian national football team, and since 2017 he鈥檚 suited up for Liverpool. According to Front Office Sports, Salah鈥檚 off-the-field earnings amount to $18 million annually. The endorsement and sponsorship deals in his portfolio include: a signature shoe with Adidas, a Vodafone commercial campaign, and partnerships with Gucci and Pepsi. Put it all together and you鈥檝e got one of the highest paid soccer players in the world.
7) Riyad Mahrez, Al-Ahli (Saudi Pro League) – $56.9 million
Algerian right winger Riyad Mahrez spent the bulk of his career in the Premier League with Leicester City and Manchester City. Twice Mahrez led his teams to Premier League championships. In 2023, news broke that Mahrez was leaving Manchester City to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli鈥擬ahrez鈥檚 deal, which runs through 2027, has an average annual value of almost $57 million.
Soccer Salaries (Continued)
6) Erling Haaland, Manchester City (Premier League) – $58 million
24-year-old Erling Haaland is the son of pro footballer Alfie Haaland, who played most of his career in the English Premier League (which is why Erling was born in Leeds鈥攈is dad was playing for Leeds United). And Erling certainly plays like football is in his blood. His first season in the Premier League, he scored 36 goals鈥攖he most ever scored by a player in a single season.
The Norwegian striker is under contract with Manchester City for three more years. According to Forbes, Haaland takes home roughly $46 million annually for his on-the-field performance; another $12 million comes from his many endorsement deals.
5) Karim Benzema, Al Ittihad (Saudi Pro League) – $115 million
Before heading to the Saudi Pro League, French superstar striker Karim Benzema put together one of the most impressive football resumes the sport has ever seen. Benzema played for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2023, and in that time he became the club鈥檚 second highest goal scorer and best-ever assist provider. He won a total of 25 championships with Real Madrid, among them four La Liga and five UEFA Champions League titles.
In 2023, he signed a contract to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad. The base salary? $109,092,860 per year.
Highest Paid Soccer Players (Continued)
4) Kylian Mbapp茅, Real Madrid (La Liga) – $124 million
At only 25 years old, French phenom Kylian Mbapp茅 has established himself in the pantheon of football greats. To list his accomplishments here would be too wordy an exercise, but the highlights include a World Cup championship during which he won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player award.
In the last few years of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbapp茅 was taking home almost $80 million per year. His new contract with Real Madrid nets him a cool $104 million/year. Put that together with his off the field revenue, and he鈥檚 easily one of the highest paid soccer players in the world.
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3) Lionel Messi, Inter Miami (Major League Soccer) – $135 million
I already mentioned, in the intro, the impact Lionel Messi鈥檚 had on South Florida鈥檚 cultural and economic landscape since signing a deal to join Inter Miami in 2023. And speaking of that deal, let鈥檚 delve a little deeper into its finer details. For a superstar of his stature, Messi鈥檚 salary of roughly $20 million a year seems light. But the Argentinian great didn鈥檛 sign with Miami for a measly $20 million. His deal is multifold, and it includes an option for an equity stake in the team itself. If Messi exercises that option (he鈥檚 eligible to do so after his contract expires), he鈥檒l be collecting dividends from his ownership slice in perpetuity, long after he鈥檚 played his last game. All told, Messi鈥檚 deal with Inter Miami is worth somewhere in the ballpark of .
2) Neymar Jr., Al Hilal (Saudi Pro League) – $141 million
His first year playing for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, Brazilian legend Neymar Jr. took home roughly $109 million. That number becomes even more shocking or impressive鈥攄epending on how you look at it鈥攚hen you break it down week-by-week: for his play, Neymar Jr. makes more than $2 million per week.
To supplement that modest income stream he鈥檚 also entered into partnerships with sponsors such as Puma, Konami, and Red Bull; Forbes estimated his off-the-field earnings to be around $32 million.
Highest Paid Soccer Players (Continued)
1) Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League) – $260 million
In January 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to join Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr. And while his playing career might be winding down鈥攖he Portuguese superstar is 39 years old; his contract with Al Nassr takes him through his year 40 season鈥攖he amount of money he鈥檚 raking in certainly isn鈥檛. Ronaldo鈥檚 deal is worth an absolutely stunning $218 million per year making him the highest paid soccer player. That kind of money dwarfs the annual salaries of some of the highest paid individuals in the world, like CEOs, actors, and other sports stars.
Ronaldo鈥檚 career earnings just for his on-the-field performance are, at the time of writing, around $690 million. Another year of play for All Nassr, and he won鈥檛 be too far off from the $1 billion mark.
Highest Paid Soccer Player/Players – Additional Resources
