The world of soccer or football is one of the most lucrative sports one can ever imagine. Beyond sports, it is arguably the highest paying job in the world where young men are earning 100s of thousand pounds on a weekly basis.
Though one may wonder if it is so difficult to kick a ball and run around on a pitch for 90 minutes, yet a career in the game is one of the most time-consuming jobs and has one of the shortest life spans in the world.
Every star footballer you see, despite driving in some of the most expensive cars, living in luxurious mansions, and wearing the best designers, they are subjected to a daily routine an average person may not enjoy. Hence, they deserve all the pennies they are making.
Talking about making pennies, just as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are topping the world of football when it comes to what they do on the field of play, they are also topping on what gets into their accounts at the end of the day. Hence, the two football stars have extended their dominance on the pitch to the rankings of the wealthiest footballers on earth but there is a surprise entry that might shock you.
Below is a break down of the Five Wealthiest Soccer Players in the World:
5. Neymar (PSG)
Pay: $520,000 per week
Total Net Worth: $185 million
Other Forms of Income: Sponsorships, brand revenue, and media appearances
Club: PSG
Nationality: Brazil
Position: Forward
Neymar is a 28-year-old footballer who has played for Barcelona before he moved to Paris Saint-German (PSG) for a world record transfer fees of €222 million. He currently earns one of the highest weekly wages in the world. Besides that, he has been making a lot of money from sponsorship deals, bonuses, advertisements and media appearances.
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)
Pay: $138,000 per week
Total Net Worth: $190 million
Other Forms of Income: Sponsorships and brand revenue
Club: AC Milan
Nationality: Sweden
Position: Striker
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 38-year-old and he is one of the most travelled footballers in the world in terms of clubs he has played for – Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester United, and LA Galaxy. Besides his weekly wages, bonuses, Endorsement deals and advertising, he has investments scattered across the board including fashion and sports.
3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Pay: $645,000 per week
Total Net Worth: $400 million
Other Forms of Income: Sponsorships and brand revenue
Club: Barcelona
Nationality: Argentina
Position: Attacker
Lionel Messi is 32-year-old and arguably the best footballer in the world. Hence, he earns one of the highest weekly wages in football. Besides his wages and bonuses, he makes most of his money from brand endorsements, advertisements and media appearances.
According to Forbes, Lionel Messi has earned a whopping $750 million in the last 10 years of his football career, making him the 3rd highest-earning athlete in the world.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Pay: $645,043 per week
Total Net Worth: $450 million
Other Forms of Income: Sponsorship, CR7 brand, and investments
Club: Juventus
Nationality: Portugal
Position: Attacker
Cristiano Ronaldo is 35-year-old and one of the most bankable athletes in the world. He has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus.
He makes most of his money from brand endorsements, adverts, media appearances and investments. He is the most followed human being on social media. In fact, Hooper announced Ronaldo as the highest-earning sportsman on Instagram in 2019 for his Instagram earnings of $47.8 million.
According to Forbes, he is very likely to be the first footballer to be a billionaire in dollars at the end of 2020. Forbes says he has earned a whopping $800 million in the last 10 years, making him the second highest-earning athlete in the world.
1 Faiq Bolkiah (Leicester City)
Pay: $1,000 per week
Total Net Worth: $20 billion
Other Forms of Income: Royal wealth and inheritance
Club: Leicester City
Nationality: Brunei
Position: Midfielder
The surprise entry on the list is 21-year-old Leicester City midfielder Faiq Bolkiah. Though he might not be on the same level with other footballers mentioned above in terms of achievement in football and skills on the field of play, yet he has an inheritance that can buy all of them.
Brunei national team captain does not earn much in football and he is not as popular as Ronaldo’s left leg but he is the son of the prince of oil-rich Brunei, Jefri Bolkiah, who is the heir to the throne in the oil-rich country.
