Cristiano Ronaldo is now the highest-paid footballer after signing a mega two-and-a-half-year contract with Al-Nassr.
He is followed by the PSG trio – Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr in that order before former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo signed one of the biggest contract in history with Al-Nassr as a free agent. He is set to stay at the Saudi club till 2025 and will earn a whooping £214million for the two-and-a-half years he will stay at the club.
The deal makes him the highest paid footballer ever known eclipsing PSG and France forward Kylian Mbappe, who bagged a another mega deal with PSG in 2021.
Kylian Mbappe
Before Cristiano Ronaldo eclipsed him on the ladder of highest-earning footballers, Kylian Mbappe was the world’s richest player earning an astonishing £63milion from his PSG deal every year.
Before Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr move, Kylian Mbappe signed the biggest contract in football history with PSG.
After rumours of links to a possible PSG exit to Real Madrid, he renewed his contract with the Parisians, who conceded a lot financially and otherwise to keep the PSG forward. Mbappe renewed his contract, extending his stay by two and a half years. The contract will expire in 2025. His estimated annual net earnings is £63million.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was ranked second before Cristiano Ronaldo move to Al-Nassr. Now, he is third on the log with an estimated annual earnings of £47million at PSG.
While Lionel Messi is at the peak of his football and has successfully skewed the goat debate to his favor after winning the 2022 World Cup, he is miles away from Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to annual estimated earning at one’s club as things stand.
Cristiano Ronaldo will earn five times more than Lionel Messi’s £41million annual earnings at PSG.
Meanwhile, Messi’s current contract with PSG expires at the end of the current 2022/23 Ligue 1 season, and there are reports he is set to extend the deal by one more year.
Neymar Jr
The Brazil international is now fourth on the list of highest earners in football. Neymar signed a five year deal with PSG in 2017, and penned a new contract in 2021 that will see him stay at the club till 2027. His estimated annual earnings at PSG is £37million.
Andres Iniesta
Andre Iniesta, who nearly spent the entirety of his professional career at Barcelona, joined Vissel Kobe in 2018, signing a three-year contract. In 2021 he renewed his contract and will stay at the club for two more years. He is fifth on the ladder and earns £31million every year at the Japanese club.
Although nearing the twilight of his illustrious career, Andres Iniesta has been phenomenal for Vissel Kobe, and is still in touch with his magic moves in the Japanese top tier.