Pedro Oliveira
Although in the United States soccer is not yet the biggest attraction among all the sports played, in the rest of the world there is no other sport that can dethrone it as the king discipline in the media and the most popular among people.
For this reason, the most important soccer players are among the highest paid athletes of any sport, even if their contract details are not so clear to everyone. The five players presented below have accumulated more financially than anyone else on the football scene.
We present the 5 highest paid footballers in the 2021-2022 season, including their salaries and earnings outside their current team.
5.- Mohamed Salah – Liverpool FC
The Egyptian striker is the only player of African origin on the list, accumulating $41,000,000 million dollars between his salary at Liverpool ($25,000,000 million) and his various tertiary media, mostly being sponsorships, image rights and more.
The 29-year-old veteran has 31 goals and six assists through 51 appearances for the Reds and is negotiating a contract extension with the club to stay beyond 2023, when his current contact expires.
4.- Kylian Mbappé – Paris Saint-Germain
The French winger and striker is the youngest member of this list, at just 23 years of age, and making an estimated $43,000,000 million a year, $28,000,000 of that coming directly from PSG, with the remaining $15,000,000 coming from individual deals and brand sponsorship.
The Parisian star could end his stay at the French capital, as his contract, which expires in July of this year, is still not renewed. Everything indicates that the youngster would like a new adventure in a team that can bring him more glory and international recognition. In the 2020-2021 season, he had 42 goals and 11 assists in 47 games played.
3.- Neymar Jr. – Paris Saint-Germain
The leader of the Brazilian national team is in third place on the list and could reach the figure of $95,000,000 million per year, thanks to his salary from PSG, which would roughly consist of $75,000,000 million. Much of the rest is coming from the Puma brand, having signed a recent contract with them that pushes the figure up to almost $100,000,000 million per year.
Neymar had a somewhat inconsistent 2020-2021 season. Once again, his physique would get in the way of him playing most of PSG’s games in the season, but he still put up great numbers by his usual standards: 17 goals and eight assists in 31 games played.
2.- Lionel Messi – Paris Saint-Germain
The protagonist of the most anticipated and followed move of the market, Messi entered the French giant’s budget equal with teammate Neymar in terms of direct salary, however, his income from sponsorships, image rights and collaborations raise the 34-year-old forward’s final figure to $110,000,000 million dollars annually.
The 2020-2021 season would represent another success for Lionel winning the Copa del Rey in his final season with FC Barcelona, the Copa America with the Argentine national team, and totaling 38 goals and 12 assists during the European season. These achievements enough to earn him his seventh Ballon d’Or in his enviable career.
1.- Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
And now, with the most surprising move in the European soccer market, CR7’s return to the club that made him known worldwide, Manchester United, continues to keep him at the top of the list of highest paid players in the sport (even if the difference is small).
Ronaldo definitely lowered his salary in order to fit into Manchester United’s salary budget, settling for a figure close to $30,000,000/$35,000,000,000 million, which added to all the bonuses with his previous club (Juventus FC). The Portuguese have more sponsors and incomes than any other soccer player, bringing his annual figure up to $125,000,000,000 million.
At 35 years of age and with these earnings, no one is surprised that the Portuguese is still at the top of the rankings, having become the first athlete in a team discipline to actively reach $1 billion in earnings. Ronaldo finished the 2020-2021 season with 36 goals and four assists through 44 games.
