Top 10 Highest Earning Football Players

Top 10 Highest Earning Footballers Elite footballers from various famous clubs increase their annual incomes in addition to the salaries they receive from national teams and clubs with the huge sponsorships and advertising fees they receive from mega brands. The recent FIFA World Cup 2018 proved to be one of the best platforms for players to get huge contracts for advertisements from various brands like Nike, Adidas, Pepsi, Volvo and many other companies. Here is the list of top 10 highest earning footballers.

Highest Paid Footballers

Football is one of the most followed sports in the world and is considered one of the highest paid sports of our time. With 250 million viewers worldwide, famous football players attract a lot of attention from the public, especially football fans, in addition to their extremely high annual earnings. The highest paid football players are among the highest paid athletes of the year.

So, you may already be amazed by the top ten super-rich footballers of this year. But now let's take a look at the detailed analysis of these stars and their value in 2021.

10. David De Gea – $27 Million

One of the best goalkeepers, David De Gea, is currently ranked tenth in the highest paid footballers rankings. De Gea is also currently the highest paid goalkeeper in the world. His former club Manchester United paid him around $24 million this year.

On the occasion of his 100th appearance with adidas gloves, the company has released a special pair of gloves in his honor. And since their launch, they have climbed up the ranks of the best goalkeeper gloves that professional goalkeepers love to wear.

Adidas also played a major role in the $3 million he earned from sponsors this year. David De Gea also frequently appears in PepsiCo ads as part of his endorsement deal.

9. Robert Lewandowski – $28 Million

Lewandowski's five goals in six minutes still looks like one of the most unbreakable records in sporting history, but even after that match against Bundesliga counterpart VfL Wolfsburg, he continued to produce outstanding performances for Bayern.

The Polish football genius currently ranks ninth among the highest-paid footballers. With an income of $28 million in 2021, Lewandowski also remains the highest-paid Polish athlete. German team Bayern Munch currently pay the star player an annual salary of $24 million.

Besides his great personality on the football pitch, Lewandowski is also the most popular TikTok star. Although many already have an account on TikTok, this Polish genius is way ahead with almost 3 million active followers.

8. Gareth Bale – $29 Million

Bale spent a lot of time as Real Madrid’s most expensive substitute last year. However, since joining Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Los Blancos, Bale has started to fall into his usual rhythm. He still remains one of the highest paid footballers, with Real Madrid paying him a salary of $23 million this year.

He's expected to make a lot more if he can put in some eye-catching performances to earn the Spurs incentives, but hey, he's also collected around $6 million from various endorsement deals.

In addition to his footballing talents, the Welshman is also an avid golfer. He has recently been advocating TaylorMade products on his social media accounts. He is also affiliated with Adidas. Additionally, Bale is currently in contact with several European companies to finalize sponsorship deals.

7. Antoine Griezmann – $33 Million

Despite earning the same salary as Pogba, Griezmann is only a million short of sponsorship income. With a total income of $33 million this year, French forward and one of the world's top football scorers Antoine Griezmann is ranked seventh among the highest-paid footballers.

Despite his alleged conflict with Messi, FC Barcelona paid him $28 million a year. Griezmann earned around $5 million from sponsorships and endorsement deals. He has been linked to Huawei, a Chinese technology company, and American sports giant Puma.

In addition to his footballing talent, Griezmann is also an avid gamer. He and his brother founded their own esports team last year called Grizi Esports, which currently competes in Fortnite, FIFA and CS:Go.

Paul Pogba – $34 Million

Among the best midfielders, it would be a shame not to mention Paul Pogba. Manchester United spent around $28 million on Pogba in salary and performance bonuses. However, football fans believe that the French star is yet to deliver his best season for the Red Devils.

But speaking of the humanitarian side, his foundation works aggressively to provide clean drinking water in various parts of Africa. He has earned around $6 million in endorsement deals, with Activision and Pepsi being the biggest contributors.

Adidas also plays a major role in these revenues as it is currently tied to the French genius. Pogba recently created a buzz after appearing in a Pepsi advert alongside two other football greats, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.

5. Mohamed Salah – 37 Million Dollars

Egyptian football pharaoh Mohamed Salah has produced some remarkable performances for Premier League champions Liverpool, and has also earned himself one of the highest-paid footballers this year, with a total income of $37 million.

Liverpool have spent a total of $24 million on Salah's annual salary and performance bonuses this year. Vodafone has helped, with Salah collecting at least $13 million from various sponsorship deals. But he has also shown his human side.

He recently partnered with Vodafone to bring digital education to refugee camps in his home country. The Egyptian football king recently became the face of Adidas’ retro line called Adicolor.

4. Kylian Mbappe – $42 Million

Mbappe caught the attention of the entire football world with his magical performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. And since then, he has steadily conquered his place among the highest paid footballers.

Also this year, the French youngster and one of the best forwards in football today finished in fourth place with a staggering total income of $42 million. His current team, Paris Saint-Germain, now pays him around $20 million in annual salary. He also earned an $8 million performance bonus from the club.

Legendary watchmaker Hublot announced Mbappe as its global ambassador in 2018. He also has several other sponsorship deals with leading brands including Nike.

3. Neymar – $95 Million

One of the world's most marketable athletes, Neymar made a fortune with his transfer deal from Barcelona to PSG. This year, he ranks third on the list of highest-earning footballers with a total income of $90 million.

In addition to his $76 million annual salary for the French team, Neymar also earns $19 million through personal sponsorship deals. Neymar is currently signed to several major companies, including Beats Electronics, Gillette, Nike, Panasonic, and Red Bull.

Without a doubt, his agent Wagner Ribeiro has done a fantastic job with the 29-year-old Brazilian. Interestingly, Neymar recently became the first footballer to have his own custom Air Jordan sneakers designed by the Swoosh.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 120 Billion Dollars

One of the greatest footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo CR7, is also currently the highest paid athlete in the world. In addition to his immense footballing qualities, many of his fans around the world look at him with astonishing amazement for his unimaginable wealth and talent.

He has earned a total of $120 million this year. Under his current contract, Cristiano will earn more than $30 million a year from Manchester United alone until his 37th birthday. He also has a $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.

In addition, he has numerous other sponsorship deals and his own clothing, perfume and hotel lines. This makes him the second highest paid football player in the world. Ronaldo is also the most loved athlete on social media platforms.

1. Lionel Messi – $130 Million

Known as a football wizard, Leo Messi recently led his previous team Barcelona to victory in La Liga this season. In addition to his $97 million salary from PSG, Messi earned approximately $33 million from sponsorship deals this season. He extended his lifetime deal with Adidas in December last year. And this year, he is making a significant contribution to his income.

Messi is managed by his agent Guillermo Marin and currently has contracts with many industry giants. And that list includes companies like Huawei Technologies, Gatorade, Adidas, and Tata Motors. Unsurprisingly, Messi is one of the richest footballers in 2021 with a total income of $130 million this year.

The Argentine genius’s annual income is expected to increase even further if he stays at PSG on a permanent basis after leaving Barcelona in August 2021. Although the Catalan side paid him around $100 million, it seems uncertain whether Messi will remain at the club.

Who will be the highest-paid football player in the world?

FC Barcelona star and Argentine football legend Lionel Messi is set to become the highest-paid footballer. He has received $97 million in salary and incentives this year, as well as a staggering $33 million from various sponsorship deals.

Which football player has the highest salary?

According to the latest statistics for 2025, Lionel Messi has the highest salary as a football player. He received around $97 million in salary and incentives this year for his relationship with FC Barcelona and the Argentina national football team.