From Ronaldo to Yamal: how much the biggest football stars earn

Cristiano Ronaldo stays far ahead of his competitors off the pitch as well. New figures show that the Portuguese star earns almost twice as much as Lionel Messi, while a new generation is rapidly rising through the ranks of top earners. Who are they?

Football has long been more than ninety minutes on the pitch. For the world's greatest players, the financial game now revolves around a combination of salary, bonuses, sponsorship contracts, licensing deals, image rights and business activities. According to figures from Sportico, the annual earnings of the ten highest-paid footballers in 2026 will total hundreds of millions of dollars combined.

Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list once again. The 41-year-old striker for Al Nassr earns approximately $300 million, €266 million, per year according to the latest estimates. The majority of this is earned on the pitch, but Ronaldo generates tens of millions more through commercial partnerships and his own CR7 brand. This makes him not only the highest-paid footballer, but also one of the world's highest-earning athletes.

Ronaldo remains the absolute top earner

The gap with the competition is striking. Lionel Messi ranks second with an estimated $140 to $150 million, €124 to €133 million, in annual earnings. For the Argentine, the balance between football and commercial income is also much more even. His earnings from partnerships, licensing and other commercial activities are roughly equal to his income as a footballer.

This balance underscores how important personal brand value has become for players. Messi and Ronaldo now earn amounts off the pitch that remain out of reach as total income for many top players.

The top ten for 2026 according to estimates:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – approximately $300 million, €266 million
2. Lionel Messi – approximately $140–150 million, €124–133 million
3. Karim Benzema – approximately $104 million, €92 million
4. Kylian Mbappé – approximately $95–100 million, €84–89 million
5. Erling Haaland – approximately $80 million, €71 million
6. Vinícius Júnior – approximately $60 million, €53 million
7. Mohamed Salah – approximately $55 million, €49 million
8. Sadio Mané – approximately $54 million, €48 million
9. Jude Bellingham – approximately $44 million, €39 million
10. Lamine Yamal – approximately $43 million, €38 million

Saudi Arabia reshapes the salary market

The ranking also shows how much influence Saudi Arabia now has on the financial landscape of international football. Ronaldo and Sadio Mané play for Al Nassr, while other stars in the Saudi Pro League also rank among the absolute top earners.

The salaries paid there have presented traditional European top clubs with a new challenge. Real Madrid, Manchester City and other European powerhouses still command enormous commercial reach, but increasingly compete on salary with clubs willing to pay exceptional sums for international stars.

This is evident with Karim Benzema, who with an estimated annual income of approximately $104 million, €92 million, also belongs to football's financial elite. These figures show that the economic balance of power in football is no longer determined exclusively by London, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich or Paris.

The earnings of the new generation

Perhaps even more striking is the rise of players who at a young age reach earnings that were once reserved for established stars in the later stages of their careers.

Lamine Yamal is the clearest example of this. The FC Barcelona star will already rank among the ten highest-paid footballers in the world by 2026. His estimated annual income is approximately 43 million dollars, €38 million, partly thanks to sponsorship contracts and image rights. At a young age, Yamal has reached a commercial level that previous generations often only achieved after years at the top of world football.