Anyone with a keen eye on the sport knows that there’s plenty of money to make in football – it’s part of why so many kids want to grow up to be famous footballers! That means that some big-name footballers are making a lot of money doing what they’re passionate about.
Whether it be through taking on an influencer role on top of their quality ball skills or simply because they have the respect and staying power to command a great deal, plenty of footballers make more money than most of us could imagine! So if you’ve ever wondered how your favourite player stacks up in the pay rankings, read on…
Here’s a list of the highest-paid football players in the world:
10. Sadio Mane – £350,000 per week
Mane has earned his spot at Bayern Munich with an $18 million per year deal, which is sure to have him bringing in the goals and the money to keep him satisfied for years to come – he’s also managed to solidify his name as the highest paid player in Germany!
9. Mohamed Salah – £350,000 per week
Another big name in the football world, Salah has been deemed the King of Liverpool in his three-year contract with the team, so it’s no wonder they’ve paid him a hefty $26 million per year to compensate for his skills and efforts.
Known as a top scorer and a beast on the field, Salah’s big paycheque certainly doesn’t seem to have dampened his ability to play, unlike some people on this list!
8. Erling Haaland £375,000 per week
Haaland’s time at Manchester City has treated him surprisingly well, and his performance so far is certainly justifying the large sum he’s getting to play. With a yearly pay of $26 million, he’s struck in with the team for the long run with a five-year deal.
Given the trajectory of his rise, it’s likely that he could begin to skyrocket in this list after his contract ends!
7. Eden Hazard £380,000 per week
Another player signed to perhaps the world’s greatest football club, Real Madrid, Eden Hazard, clocks in on our list with a $26 million per year contract as of 2022. You might know him for wasted potential, but what would Real Madrid be without a fat paycheque for its players and a subpar performance?
Even if he’s not at his best at the club, Hazard can easily forget about his football troubles by balling in other ways with his staple Real Madrid money!
6. Andres Iniesta – £420,000 per week
That’s right, Iniesta still has some life left in him! You might have thought Iniesta was enjoying an early retirement sipping mimosas on a private beach, but he’s actually made his way to Japan, playing for the renowned team Vissell Kobe. He makes $31 million per year at the club, which would certainly be enough to pull me out of retirement too!
His age doesn’t seem to be hindering him either: Iniesta has won the Emperor’s cup and the Japanese Super Club team and still has enough juice in him to keep going for longer.
5. Oscar – £440,000 per week
Fans of the Brazilian baller Oscar were certainly confused when he decided to move to China to play for Shanghai SIPG at what seemed to be the perfect time for him to take a more traditional route to football success – perhaps they hadn’t accounted for the fat paycheck he was offered to do so!
Clocking in at $34 million per year, Oscar is estimated to make three times as much at Shanghai SIPG than he would have had he stuck with a traditional route and a high-profile career. Of course, that means he might not be as much of a notorious name as the others listed so far, but he certainly has the cash to match them nonetheless!
4. Cristiano Ronaldo – £515,000 per week
Another no-brainer on this list, Cristiano Ronaldo has solidified himself as a household name since the moment he hit the pitch. His “GOAT” (Greatest of all time) status spans worldwide just like Messi’s does, and his $36 million per year salary is certainly enough to match his infamous title.
He’s also the first to break the PSG chain on our list! Ronaldo put pen to paper of a two-year deal with Manchester United in the summer of 2021, returning to his Old Trafford roots that many of his fans will remember him for after a decade hiatus in Real Madrid and Juventus.
Even in the twilight of his career at 37, Ronaldo is still holding onto his diamond-encrusted money throne with an option for a contract extension for another year if he so chooses.
3. Neymar JR – £606,000 per week
Coming in at number three on the rundown is Neymar Jr – care to hazard a guess which team is giving him his $36.5 million dollar per year paycheck? That’s right; it’s none other than PSG again. The Brazilian football superstar extended his contract with the Parisians in the summer of 2021 to the sound of a slot machine jackpot. However, that’s not to imply Neymar has secured this deal through sheer gambling luck – his skill on the pitch is more than enough to prove his worth to be on this list.
For the past decade, Neymar has topped fan polls of the best player of the decade and brought his team plenty of wins. But, embedded in Neymar’s contract is the clause that he’ll pick up a chunky bonus if PSG wins an elite commercial continental competition too!
2. Lionel Messi – £960,000 per week
Obviously. This one is a given to football fans across the world – even a grandmother who never kept up with football in her life could probably guess that Messi would be topping the charts as one of the highest-paid football players to grace the Earth. As of 2022, Messi is reported to make $41 million per year with our favourite cash giants: PSG! They’re not shy in flashing the cash after all…
In 2021 Messi surprised the world by leaving Barcelona and taking a deal with PSG to become a free agent, much like Mbappe – Messi has such a solid reputation as one of the most gifted players ever that plenty of fans were sure to follow and support his move no matter where he goes!
1. Kylian Mbappe – £1,600,000 per week
It’s no surprise that Mbappe dominates the top of this list with a hefty paycheque of $62 million per year. Signing with PSG, who are well known for drawing in a big paycheque for star players, Mbappe’s contract with PSG marked him as the highest-paid football player this year.
Mbappe took this deal on with PSG because it allegedly gave him more control over his coaching and player recruitment – there were rumours banded around that he would up stick and sign for Real Madrid as he previously expressed a desire to play for “Los Blancos”. However, we’re sure he’s not complaining too much about the amount of money he’s drawing in at PSG, nonetheless!
Conclusion
So, there you have it! These are the ten highest players of 2022, and by the end of this article, you’ll be sure to be starstruck by the amount of money these football superstars are drawing in – some of which don’t even have to be at the top of their game to get that cash either! We’re sure you probably expected some of these names to be here, like Mbappe, Ronaldo, and Messi, but maybe you’ve been surprised by some players that made the cut too!
If there are two things we can take away from this article; the first thing is that if you’re looking to make a better paycheque than you get in Europe, set your sights on Japan or China. The second is that PSG is a great place to go if you’re looking to get a new paint job on that third Bugatti of yours while you’re holidaying in the Cayman Islands – that is, if you have time in between your training!