Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken Lionel Messi at the top of Forbes’ list of the highest-paid footballers in the world, with the Manchester United star potentially earning £91.5million this season.
Ronaldo and Messi, two of the most high-profile players in history, both made transfer moves this summer to Manchester United and Paris Saint-German respectively during an incredible window.
Messi’s move to French giants PSG could see him earn £80.5m this season, but his earnings are very much short of Portuguese star Ronaldo, 36, who made his return to Manchester after 12 years playing away from Old Trafford.
Ronaldo’s Red Devils deal could see him collect £51.25m in basic salary and performance-related bonuses, with the rest of his package coming from endorsements, including sponsorship.
Messi’s PSG team-mates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe sit third and fourth on the list respectively, with the Brazilian signing a new £54.95m-a-year contract in May, meaning he earns the same amount as Messi in terms of basic salary and bonuses.
However, Neymar picks up slightly less money than Messi in endorsement fees, with the Brazilian earning £14.65m in this category.
Mbappe, whose PSG contract runs out at the end of this season, earns £31.5m a season, including £20.5m from PSG in salary.
Mohamed Salah is the second best-paid Premier League player behind Ronaldo, with the Liverpool’s Egyptian star set to earn £30m a year overall, with the majority of that fee coming in salary and bonuses.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski is next on the list with potential earnings of £25m, while 37-year-old Andres Iniesta is the seventh-highest paid player in the world despite playing for Japanese club Vissel Kobe, who pay him £22.7m in basic salary.
Paul Pogba joins United team-mate Ronaldo in the top 10 on £24.9m, while Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale is the best-paid British player on £23.4m. His fellow Los Blancos star, Eden Hazard completes the top 10 on £21.25m.
