Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers in the World (2024, Official List)
We previously listed the current top 5 richest footballers in the world and their net worth that featured the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mbappe and Neymar. The list was not much of a surprise to many as those world professional football players are seen as the best in the sport.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are richest footballers in the world
Although, soccer is not the highest paying sport in the world, it remains the most popular and the most entertaining because of the fans, aura, the soccer players, clubs, leagues e.t.c. In this article, there are series of surprise faces in the names of the top ten highest paid footballers in the world 2024.
Before we delve fully into the list of highest paid football earners in the world that was put together by 90min.com, note that not all these players play in top European football clubs around England, Spain or even Germany.
Although it is common knowledge that football players are highly compensated, in 2023 Saudi Arabian clubs awarded numerous mega-money contracts that much above the initial figures.
Beginning in 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo made the leap, and a number of elite players, such as Neymar, N’Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema, followed the former Manchester United player.
Even with the Saudi Pro League’s greatest efforts and Lionel Messi’s sensational move to Inter Miami, Europe’s top leagues continue to draw the best players in the world, and the Premier League, La Liga, and other leagues still have plenty of money to spare.
Being a good football player definitely pays well, but who are the most paid football players worldwide? Using the salaries of this soccer stars, we have determined which 10 stars are making the most money from their clubs.
Nigerian Queries looks at the world’s ten highest-paid footballers. To increase our accuracy, we’ve based our numbers on reporting from reliable news sources and databases.
Unless otherwise noted, all amounts are before taxes and do not account for bonuses, additional fees, or the many sponsorship arrangements that players may have, some of which can suddenly treble their annual revenue.
TOP 10 WORLD’S HIGHEST-PAID FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN 2024
Here are the top 10 highest paid footballers in the world this 2024:
HARRY KANE (BAYERN MUNICH) – £400,000 WEEKLY
In the summer of 2023, Harry Kane made the decision to leave Tottenham and the Premier League, an England international desperate to win trophies.
Kane’s bank account increased after the move, and he appears ready to earn trophies throughout his time at Bayern Munich in Germany.
KALIDOU KOULIBALY (AL HILAL) – £500,000 WEEKLY
Less than a year after being hailed as Chelsea’s ideal substitute for Antonio Rudiger, Kalidou Koulibaly became one of several prominent players to move to Saudi Arabia.
Despite having a poor season in the Premier League, Al Hilal paid a £20 million transfer price and saw a significant increase in his weekly salary.
N’GOLO KANTÉ (AL-ITTIHAD) – £500,000 WEEKLY
When N’Golo Kante’s Chelsea contract ended at the end of the 2022–2023 season, he was enticed to sign a two-year contract in Saudi Arabia.
With victories in the World Cup and Champions League, among other big trophies, the 32-year-old is among the most decorated players in recent memory.
RIYAD MAHREZ (AL-AHLI) – £580,000 WEEKLY
Riyad Mahrez had a new task ahead of him after leading Manchester City to victory in the 2022–2023 Premier League.
The winger for Algeria’s national team completed a £30 million move to Al Ahli, where he will remain until 2027 as long as his lucrative deal with the Saudi Professional League team stands.
SADIO MANÉ (AL NASSR) – £650,000 WEEKLY
After an unsatisfactory season with Bayern Munich, Sadio Mane secured a transfer for the second consecutive summer in 2023.
With a four-year contract that runs through 2027, the former attacker for Liverpool has joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
LIONEL MESSI (INTER MIAMI) – £750,000 WEEKLY
After his contract with PSG expired, Lionel Messi turned on the chance to play for Saudi Arabia and made an emotional return to Barcelona to sign a free transfer to Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham.
Even though the World Cup champion is nearing the end of his career, he has significantly influenced the success of the MLS team.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ (PSG) – £1.2 MILLION WEEKLY
His impressive performances for club and country have earned the French national team’s captain a spot near the top of this list.
Though he turned down a record-breaking offer to spend a season in Saudi Arabia, Kylian Mbappe chose to remain at PSG. Is the Frenchman headed for Real Madrid?
KARIM BENZEMA (AL-ITTIHAD) – £1.6 MILLION WEEKLY
After his contract with Real Madrid expired at the end of the 2022–2023 season, Karim Benzema left the Bernabeu, bringing an end to his incredibly successful time there.
The 2022 Balon d’Or winner then shocked the football world by signing a sensational free transfer deal of two years to play for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Professional League.
NEYMAR (AL HILAL) – £1.7 MILLION WEEKLY
After leaving Europe for the wealth that Saudi Arabia offers, Neymar is the most recent of many famous players to do so. He will sign a two-year contract with Al Hilal after leaving PSG in August 2023.
Having failed to lead the club to Champions League triumph in six seasons, PSG will be wondering if they really got value for the world-record transfer cost they paid for the Brazilian forward.
CRISTIANO RONALDO (AL NASSR) – £3.4 MILLION WEEKLY
After mutually terminating his contract at Manchester United in late 2022, one of the best players in the history of the sport moved to Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, drawing a lot of criticism.
Although it’s absurd to imagine Cristiano Ronaldo signed the two-and-a-half-year contract as a challenge to his football skills, his bank account is undoubtedly benefiting. C.Ronaldo is the highest paid football player in the world this 2024, earning €173 million on a yearly basis.
