Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers 2024: When soccer players are signed or transferred to a new team, many people like their agents, family members, and environment are involved in the negotiations. Some players can get good contracts with lots of money and bonuses, even if they’re young or already famous.
Some players have signed contracts that let them earn millions of dollars each month, and even more than 25 million per season when they’re older than 35 years old. To show who these players are, We made a list of the top 10 soccer players with the highest-paying contracts.
Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers 2024: Salaries of the Highest-Paid Soccer Players in the World 2024
Some media sources like Forbes and ESPN have reported on a list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players.
In 2024, we are going to talk about the soccer players who earn the most money from both their salaries and endorsement deals. This information has been gathered from various sources such as Forbes, ESPN, and Statista.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr. He departed from Manchester United last month after giving a controversial TV interview in which he expressed his feelings of betrayal towards the club and a lack of respect towards their Dutch manager, Erik Ten Hag.
According to reports from the media, Ronaldo’s agreement with Al Nassr has been valued at over 200 million euros ($214.5 million).
”Ronaldo said he’s glad he achieved everything he wanted to in European football. Now he thinks it’s the perfect time to use his knowledge and skills in Asia.”
“I am delighted and filled with enthusiasm to start working with my new teammates towards the achievement of the club’s goals.”
2. Neymar Jr. (Al Hilal)
According to Statista reports Neymar Jr. is the 2nd highest-paid soccer player in the world, earning a salary of €155 million. On August 15, 2023, Neymar joined Al Hilal signing a two-year contract. The transfer cost €90 million, making it the most expensive in the Saudi Pro League’s history. Neymar’s annual salary at Al Hilal is reportedly €150 million, which is six times more than what he earned at PSG.
Neymar is popular all over the world, and lots of companies ask him to be their ambassador.
3. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Mbappé is the third-highest highest-paid soccer player in the world. He plays for PSG and is the second-highest-paid player on the team after Neymar Jr.
Many people thought Kylian Mbappé moved to Real Madrid, but he decided to stay at PSG instead. By staying, he became the highest-paid player in the world, and he even gets to help the club make decisions about which players to sign and who should be the manager.
”Mbappe has declared that he has decided to extend his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, and he expressed his happiness about the decision”
“I believe that PSG can help me continue to improve and play at the top level. It’s great to continue playing in France, where I was born, raised, and made my name.”
”I would like to express my gratitude to President Nasser Al-Khelaifi for his trust, understanding, and endorsement. Additionally, I extend my thanks to all the PSG supporters, not only in France but across the globe, for their steadfast encouragement, particularly in recent months. With a collective drive and a unified team, we are poised to achieve something truly remarkable in Paris.”
4. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami on July 16, 2023. The deal is worth $125-150 million in total, with a salary of $50-60 million per year. Messi will also receive an equity share in the club when he finishes playing.
This arrangement translates to a total contract value ranging from $125 million to $150 million, consisting solely of monetary compensation.
Besides playing soccer, Messi is also an ambassador for many different brands all over the world. He’s expected to become even more valuable after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah is a very important player for Liverpool, and his performance last season proved that. He was awarded the Footballer of the Year and the Golden Boot. Recently, he signed a contract extension with the Liverpool team.
Salah’s recent contract extension with Liverpool was a relief for fans of the club, as the Egyptian has been an integral part of their success under Jurgen Klopp. He has scored an impressive 183 goals in 299 games for the team.
With his new contract, Salah became the highest-paid player in the Premier League, which is noteworthy for a club known for being financially conservative. Now, all eyes are on him to lead the team during a transitional period.
It’s no surprise that Mohamed Salah is included on the list of highest-paid players, as he is widely regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation. His success with Liverpool has also helped him attract sponsorship deals from big brands around the world.
6. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland, a young player on Manchester City’s team, is ranked sixth on the list of highest-earning soccer players. He is expected to rise even higher in the coming years as his sponsorship deals increase, and he has a long career ahead of him.
Haaland has made an impressive start to his time in the Premier League, scoring 49 goals in 43 games across all competitions since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last season. He’s on track to break many records and is expected to become even more successful in the future.
City paid a relatively modest fee of $63 million to sign him, but he is rumored to be earning more than $624,277 per week in wages. If he helps City win the Champions League this season, the club will consider it money well spent.
Haaland’s rise to the top of the list of highest-paid players comes as no surprise. He is expected to continue climbing the ladder due to his consistency and outstanding performance in the English Premier League. He is already considered one of the best forwards in the world.
7. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Robert Lewandowski is considered one of the best strikers in soccer right now. It’s no surprise that he was the highest-paid player in the entire Bundesliga when he played there. He’s also the 7th-highest earner in the world.
Lewandowski’s contract with Bayern Munich expires, despite becoming their all-time leading goalscorer. Barcelona signed him, despite their financial problems, and they used various financial incentives to convince him to join, including a large signing bonus and a salary that matched his value.
Despite being 34 years old, Lewandowski has already scored 27 goals in 38 games for Barcelona, making him a valuable asset for the team.
Lewandowski had many sponsorship deals while he was in Germany, but since joining Barcelona, he has attracted even more.
8. Eden Hazard (Retire Now)
Eden Hazard was plays for Real Madrid and was also on the list of highest-earning soccer players. He signed with Real Madrid a couple of seasons ago to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as the team’s leader. However, he has not played well in the three seasons since joining the team, and now he earns a million dollars just for being a substitute player.
Real Madrid probably regrets paying more than $100 million to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea in 2019. He has been plagued by injuries and poor form, and at 31 years old, he hasn’t been able to play as well for Real Madrid as he did for Chelsea.
Hazard is still under contract with Real Madrid until 2024, but the club would like to get rid of him sooner if possible. There have been rumors that they might sell him back to Chelsea for a lower price.
Despite being seen as one of the best players in the world during his time at Chelsea, Hazard has struggled to achieve that same level of success at Real Madrid.
On October 10, 2023, just three months after leaving Madrid, Hazard declared that he was retiring from professional football at the age of 32. This marked the conclusion of his 16-year-long career.
9. Andres Iniesta (Emirates)
The Spanish soccer legend is still highly valuable on the field, and he has recently launched his own sports line Capitten.
Iniesta played for Barcelona for many years and won many awards. Even though he left Barcelona four years ago, he didn’t retire like other players. Instead, he went to Japan and joined the Vissel Kobe team for a lot of money. In 2023 he joined Team Emirates in UAE. He is now 38 years old and has a contract with the team until 2024, but he will probably retire after that.
Iniesta is very valuable and has many connections even though he moved away from Europe to play in Japan. He is famous for scoring the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final.
10. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin de Bruyne is one of Manchester City’s biggest stars and he is the second-highest-paid player in the entire Premier League. He signed a huge contract, which is one of the largest in the league’s history.
He has a contract with City until 2025 and seems content to spend the rest of his career with the club. He has already won many titles with City, including four league titles, an FA Cup, and five League Cups. City signed Haaland to have someone who could score the goals that de Bruyne sets up, and they hope that together they can win the Champions League.
Kevin De Bruyne played a big role in leading Manchester City to win the Premier League title in the 2022/23 season, and he is an essential player for Pep Guardiola’s team to keep dominating the Premier League 2023/24.
