Image: @cristiano/Instagram
It’s no secret that the world of professional soccer is often very well paid. And while our local athletes rake in very decent annual earnings, their salaries don’t hold a candle to the defining athletes of the modern world game, who between the command the biggest audiences, and some of the biggest pay packets, in world sport.
In September 2021, revered financial publication Forbes released their annual list of the 10 highest-paid soccer players, revealing that Cristiano Ronaldo, on the back of yet another huge earnings year as he leapt from Juventus to his spiritual home at Manchester United, has reclaimed the crown from Lionel Messi as the World Game's highest earner.
Calculated on the amount each athlete earns on the field, as well as how much they earn through other avenues, the list is a poignant illustration of the power of endorsements in the world of football. Ronaldo and Messi, who boast two of the world's largest social media followings, rake in huge amounts off the field thanks to their personal sponsorships.
All in all, the list reveals that the world’s top footballers are reaping the benefits in a post-pandemic world where clubs and players at a lower level are struggling to survive. Live turnout at games was brought to an almost complete standstill over the course of the 2020-21 season, but that didn't stop the world's most powerful clubs and players inking bumper new contracts.
Keep scrolling for the 10 highest-paid footballers in the world for the 2021-22 season, and their annual earnings, according to Forbes.
All figures in USD
Total earnings: $29 million
Salary: $26 million
Endorsements: $3 million
Total earnings: $32 million
Salary: $26 million
Endorsements: $6 million
Total earnings: $34 million
Salary: $27 million
Endorsements: $7 million
Total earnings: $35 million
Salary: $31 million
Endorsements: $4 million
Total earnings: $35 million
Salary: $27 million
Endorsements: $8 million
Total earnings: $41 million
Salary: $25 million
Endorsements: $16 million
Total earnings: $43 million
Salary: $28 million
Endorsements: $15 million
Total earnings: $95 million
Salary: $75 million
Endorsements: $20 million
Total earnings: $110 million
Salary: $75 million
Endorsements: $35 million
Total earnings: $125 million
Salary: $70 million
Endorsements: $55 million