Highest-Paid Football Players. Arabian Influence, Leading Breadwinners, and Messi, Ronaldo Dominance

The list of the highest-paid football players altered massively with Saudi Arabia implementing its money. On the 30th of December 2022, the Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr signed one of the greats – Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a shock at first when he moved to Saudi, and suddenly, millions of fans shifted their eyes to the Saudi Pro League. The Saudi Pro League clubs did not cease since signing the Portuguese superstar, as they purchased the likes of Neymar, Aleksandr Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal – the Arabic word for the land of the Crescent Moon), Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad – Union), Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr – Victory), and Roberto Firmino alongside Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli – National).

The curious speculation is how they managed to sign Neymar. 31-year-old Brazilian star reportedly acquired a mansion, access to a personal jet and a caravan of luxury autos. Besides, we cannot forget the rewards for team victories and social media posts. Al-Hilal even permitted him to live with his girlfriend, which is not acceptable by Islamic law.

Highest-Paid Football Players Since 2014

Ten years passed by, and only a few football players had the pleasure of being that number one financial beast. Let us examine the past decade and see who has been on the top of the list.

The Ronaldo Domination

As we can see, CR7 has dominated, and only Messi and Mbappé had a slim chance to compete against him. The finances of other players are nothing compared to him because he has the highest salary in 2023. The Portuguese international will add an extra 260 million dollars in 2023. Undeniably, Ronaldo has taken advantage of his prowess as a celebrity stardom. He does much more outside the football, as he recently appeared in a video posted by Al Nassr, wearing traditional Saudi attire to promote the National Day of the Kingdom. Nevertheless, he advertised the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou boxing match and still works with his partners such as – Clear, Herbalife and Binance.

The Messi Effect

The face of American football has changed since Messi arrived. The ticket demand has accelerated and sent prices gushing for Inter Miami. To understand the greatness of this player, here is an interesting fact. On the 5th of October, the Chicago Fire had to play the game against the Miami Inter. The GOAT sat out injured, while the home team managed to attract a club-record 62,124 fans at Soldier Field Stadium. They generated from $7 million to $10 million in revenue, more than all their home games combined this season. If you did not watch the story of a guy who conquered everything, you must watch a recently released Apple TV+ documentary called “Messi Meets America”.

The Kylian, aka the current star, Mbappé

With 110 million dollars, the youngster from France is in the TOP 4 highest-paid footballers list. The Paris Saint-Germain player is 24 years old and is already proving that he will be one of the highest earners in the history of this sport. The Frenchman earned $90 million on-field and $20 million off-field. At the start of the season, Mbappé did not want to extend his contract with the French side, and the club even desired to exclude him from a preseason tour in Japan. It seems now that both sides have repaired their relationship. However, his childhood dream to play for Real Madrid is still there, and the venerable Spanish club, which has chased him in the past, is reportedly planning to make another big push next summer.

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