Top 5 Highest Paid Footballers For 2025-26 Season
The transfer window is currently in full gear and will enter its critical phase for most clubs in August as teams get ready for the commencement of the new league season in Europe. Attracting the top talents will ensure clubs fork out huge sums of money on agent fees and especially juicy salaries attracting top talent. Keeping hold of the top stars is equally important and can be quite a stretch on the finances of the club as witnessed with Liverpool going above and beyond to tie down Mohamed Salah to a new improved contract until 2027 making him one of the highest paid footballers in world.
Also Read: Premier League Transfers: Top 7 Players Seeking Moves
From last season, players like Neymar (117.6 million dollars), Kylian Mbappe (139.2 million dollars) Karim Benzema (161 million dollars) Lionel Messi (209 million dollars) and Cristiano Ronaldo (425.6 million dollars) were the top five football players with the highest earnings including salaries. It is no surprise as 3 players from the list are products of the Saudi Pro League with the MLS represented by the presence of Lionel Messi. The only player in the top 5 list neither from the Saudi Pro League or MLS was Kylian Mbappe who completed the mega move from PSG to Real Madrid, an ever present in the top earners list from his days at PSG, Mbappe huge sign-on fee and salary of over 31 million euros ensured he led the list of top earners in european football.
Lionel Messi is a free agent in this moment and despite Inter Miami confirming discussions are at advanced stage, rumours continue to swirl of a potential move to the Saudi Pro League, there is no saying just how much they are willing to pay to nail the argentine playmaker, this along Cristiano Ronaldo new contract extension means we Head into the 2025-26 football season, expecting to see a much changed hierarchy of top earners in football
While the World anticipates Lionel Messi’s next move and Arsenal ponder on making a move for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, we take a look at the Top 5 Earners as we head into the 2025-26 football league season:
Highest Paid Footballers For 2025-26 Season
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian striker makes his way into the top 5 earners for the first time with his total earnings pegged at £70.407 million with his salary earnings at £54.548 million while while off-field endorsement amount to 15.858 million pounds.The Norwegian is also the highest earners in the Premier league with £525,000 per week. He takes fifth place in the ‘Highest Paid Footballers ranking’.
Kylian Mbappe
The French striker will be heading into the second year of his lucrative Real Madrid contract and his £79.518 million salary means it is the highest earning by a footballer in Europe, in total, Mbappe earns a total of £102.241 million in basic onfield salary and off-field endorsement (£22.687 million). Mbappe was reportedly offered a lucrative 1 Billion dollar offer from the Saudi Pro League but he turned it down before joining Real Madrid.
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Karim Benzema
Another French man whose presence on this list matches his presence in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad, with a reported £118.236 million pounds in total earning with majority of his earnings coming in on field salary (£113.81 million) and off-field endorsement earnings ( £4.405 million) Joining in 2023 from Real Madrid in 2023 on a three year contract, After the reported bust up with management of the team, the French man is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal prompting rumours he could be set to join another rival Al Hilal.
Lionel Messi
The Argentine is officially free to start discussion with other teams even though his Inter Miami Contract will end in December prompting further reports of interest from Saudi side Al Ahly willing to bring the Argentine to the Saudi Pro League.
Lionel Messi currently earns in total £153.476 million in total with majority coming in off-field earnings worth up to £85.183 million while on-field salary is £68.297 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese leads thelist of highest paid footballers for the third consecutive year as after signing a new bumper package at Al Nassr that will keep him at the club until 2027. He will earn £344.310 million a year with an on-field salary of £255.688 million.
He is also not only the highest paid earning athletes but also the highest earning athletes and now he has delved more into his social media capabilities by expanding his social media presence via streaming on Youtube.
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