These Five Soccer Players Made The Most Money In 2024

Forbes

A Saudi payday may be harder to come by these days, but the Kingdom still boasts four of the 10 top-earning footballers, including a record-setting Cristiano Ronaldo.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinbirnbaum/2024/10/17/the-worlds-highest-paid-soccer-players-2024/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, the world's highest-paid soccer players, 2024.

00:06A year after Saudi Pro League clubs shelled out roughly $1 billion on transfers,

00:12the market has cooled considerably.

00:15But for the superstars who paved the path to the Middle East,

00:18the Saudis' checks still clear.

00:20Four players from the Saudi Pro League

00:22now rank among the world's 10 highest-paid soccer players,

00:25counting both their on-field salaries this season

00:28and their annual earnings from endorsements, memorabilia, and other business endeavors.

00:33England's star-studded Premier League claims only three spots,

00:36while Spain's La Liga nabs two,

00:39and the U.S.'s Major League Soccer has a lone representative, Lionel Messi.

00:44Here are the top five.

00:46At number five is Kylian Mbappé, with $90 million.

00:50After years of rumors, Mbappé has finally realized his childhood dream of joining Real Madrid.

00:56But the 25-year-old French star continues to battle his old club, Paris Saint-Germain,

01:01over roughly $60 million in unpaid wages in a salary dispute that is headed to court.

01:07His departure has been felt all across French soccer.

01:10Ligue 1, the nation's top tier,

01:12fell far short of the $1.1 billion in annual media rights fees it was aiming for

01:17while renegotiating its broadcast deals.

01:21At number four is Karim Benzema, with $104 million.

01:26With injuries limiting Benzema to 21 matches with Al-Ittihad in his first season in Saudi Arabia,

01:32the former Ballon d'Or winner posted just nine goals, his lowest total since 2009-10.

01:38But the 36-year-old has returned to health and rediscovered his scoring prowess,

01:43netting seven goals in six matches this season, while his team has collected five wins.

01:48Although Al-Ittihad finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League last season,

01:52Benzema has high hopes for 2024-25.

01:57At number three is Neymar, with $110 million.

02:01Neymar's tenure in Saudi Arabia has hardly gone as planned.

02:05The Brazilian superstar made only five appearances with Al-Halal before tearing his ACL last October.

02:11He has since returned to training with the club,

02:14but now the 32-year-old has to decide whether to remain in the Middle East.

02:17His contract with Al-Halal, reportedly featuring perks like access to a private jet,

02:22a fleet of luxury cars, a mansion for staff and the right to live with his girlfriend,

02:27which would otherwise be restricted by Islamic law, expires at the end of the 2024-25 season.

02:34Neymar's future as a pitchman, on the other hand, looks much more secure.

02:38He frequently plugs his sponsors to his 225 million Instagram followers,

02:43including both longtime partners like Puma and Blaze Casino,

02:46and a new addition, Saudi perfumer Ibrahim Al-Qurashi.

02:51At number two is Lionel Messi, with $135 million.

02:56Just a few months after leading Argentina to its 16th Copa America title,

03:01and the second of his career,

03:03Messi has entered Miami in a position to claim its first championship.

03:07The South Florida-based franchise has accumulated an MLS-best 71 points

03:12with one regular-season match to play today,

03:15putting it in a pole position to take home the MLS Cup when the playoffs begin on October 23rd.

03:21Win or lose, it's likely not the last of Messi in Miami.

03:24He's under contract for 2025 and has an option for 2026,

03:29with Inter-Miami owner Jorge Mas telling Forbes in April that he's, quote,

03:33highly confident his star striker will return.

03:37In the meantime, the 37-year-old boasts an impressive portfolio of partners off the field,

03:42including Adidas, Apple TV, and Konami,

03:45and an Instagram account with more than 500 million followers.

03:50And at number one is Cristiano Ronaldo, with $285 million.

03:55With a social media following in excess of 900 million across Instagram, Facebook, and X,

04:01Ronaldo is the most popular athlete on the planet,

04:04and his online presence recently got even bigger,

04:06with the launch of a YouTube channel in August.

04:09He needed only 90 minutes to cross the 1 million subscriber mark,

04:12shattering the platform's record.

04:15You Are Cristiano has since grown its audience to nearly 65 million

04:19and accumulated more than 544 million views on just 59 videos.

04:25Ronaldo's more traditional partnerships include Nike, Herbalife, and Whoop,

04:29in which the 39-year-old has an equity stake,

04:32not to mention CR-branded hotels, fragrances, and underwear.

04:38For full coverage and to see the whole list,

04:40check out our Forbes Talks video and Justin Birnbaum's piece on Forbes.com.

04:46This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.

05:02You

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