The 10 Highest Paid Soccer Players in 2026: Where Ronaldo, Messi, Yamal Rank

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain among the sport’s biggest earners.

There are few surprises among the world’s highest-paid stars. | Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images (Yamal), Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/Getty Images (Messi), Fayez NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images (Ronaldo)

It’s no secret that soccer players now sit among the richest athletes in the world as wages, transfer fees and the value of commercial contracts all increase exponentially.

From modest beginnings, the sport has reached an eye-watering financial state, with its leading performers reaping the benefits of the vast sums pumped into the game.

Courtesy of Forbes, we can now see exactly the riches on offer to the planet’s most famous soccer stars, as they have collated a list of the 10 highest-earning players for the 2026–27 season.

So, without further ado, here is a full breakdown of the richest in the business.

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The 10 Highest-Paid Soccer Players Around the World

Cristiano Ronaldo’s pay packet cannot be matched. | Fayez NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

The longstanding rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has fueled the modern era, and despite the fact their illustrious careers are edging to a conclusion, they remain the biggest earners soccer has to offer.

Debate has long raged over which of the serial Ballon d’Or winners was better, but there’s no contest when it comes to their earnings. Ronaldo dwarfs his nemesis when comparing their respective pay packets, as he’s projected to earn an astonishing $300 million through his Al Nassr wages—which are reportedly around $4.5 million per week—and commercial partnerships during the current campaign.

In fact, Messi is predicted to earn less than half as much as Ronaldo, although sympathy will be non-existent when the Argentine collects $145 million in total come the end of the season. Interestingly, he will earn more off the field ($75 million) than on it ($70 million) following a flurry of recent endorsements, including with OpenAI and Duracell.

Kylian Mbappé rounds out the star-studded top three as the only other player to hit nine digits. The Real Madrid forward’s astronomical wages ($673,000 per week) account for much of his $100 million earnings, but his recent partnership with Swiss shoe brand On has bolstered his bank balance significantly.

The Frenchman is one of three Real Madrid players in the top 10. Vinícius Júnior, fresh from signing a bumper new contract with the Spanish giants, sits in fifth place at $76 million for the 2026–27 season, which is three places above teammate Jude Bellingham on $45 million—the highest-earning Englishman in world soccer.

Real Madrid have the most representation in the top 10. | M Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Bellingham’s compatriot Harry Kane pockets slightly less at Bayern Munich, taking home $42 million overall. The leading soccer ambassador for shoe brand Skechers also has partnerships with Crayola and Google Gemini which contribute to his extraordinary wealth.

Another devastating sharpshooter is perched in fourth, with Erling Haaland the only current Premier League player within the top 10. The Manchester City dynamo will earn $85 million for the season, with his profile having been boosted by significant social media activity in recent years.

Lamine Yamal might only be 19 years old, but he’s already soccer’s sixth-highest earner on $55 million. That total looks set to rise and rise as the years pass, with Barcelona already paying him just shy of $500,000 every seven days. Brands will be desperate to work with the teenage sensation and that can only be positive news for his bank account.

Former Liverpool forwards Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah round out the list in seventh and 10th respectively. The former’s massive wages at Al Nassr have propelled him into the equation, placing him just behind Yamal on $54 million, while even a wage reduction at Trabzonspor hasn’t removed Salah from the rich list as he prepares to claim $40 million across the campaign.

Rank	Player	Club	Earnings
1.	Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	$300 million
2.	Lionel Messi	Inter Miami	$145 million
3.	Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	$100 million
4.	Erling Haaland	Man City	$85 million
5.	Vinícius Júnior	Real Madrid	$76 million
6.	Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	$55 million
7.	Sadio Mané	Al Nassr	$54 million
8.	Jude Bellingham	Real Madrid	$45 million
9.	Harry Kane	Bayern Munich	$42 million
10.	Mohamed Salah	Trabzonspor	$40 million

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