Here's The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players In 2025

Forbes

Cristiano Ronaldo leads a group of ten footballers collectively earning $945 million this season, but as the sun sets on his legendary career, two young stars are stepping into the spotlight.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinbirnbaum/2025/10/16/the-worlds-highest-paid-soccer-players-2025/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, the world's highest paid soccer players 2025.

00:06For a brief moment this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to be on the verge of ending his illustrious

00:11soccer career. The 40-year-old superstar forward's contract was expiring at Al Nasser,

00:17the Saudi Pro League club he had joined in 2023, and he had just led Portugal to victory in the

00:23UEFA Nations League tournament, offering him an opportunity to hang up his boots on a high note.

00:28But Ronaldo quickly dispelled the retirement speculation and re-upped with Al Nasser on a

00:33two-year deal. Forbes estimates Ronaldo will earn $230 million from Al Nasser during the 2025-26

00:41season, a sum that is believed to incorporate financial incentives from commercial agreements

00:46facilitated by his club, in addition to his playing wages. Factor in the $50 million he will collect

00:52off the field from partners including Nike, Binance, and Herbalife, and Portugal's favorite son is

00:59slated to pull in $280 million in total earnings over the coming year before taxes and agents' fees.

01:06That astonishing figure, which is roughly in line with Forbes' projection for Ronaldo for the 2024-25

01:12season, gives him the top spot among the world's highest paid soccer players for the sixth time in

01:18the last decade. In fact, among all the athletes Forbes has tracked since 1990, only one has surpassed

01:25that number in a single year while active in his sport. Boxer Floyd Mayweather, who hauled in an

01:31estimated $300 million over the 12 months ending in June 2015, and $285 million three years later.

01:40Ronaldo's sky-high total also puts a fair amount of distance between him and his longtime rival,

01:45Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, who ranks number two among the sport's top earners at $130 million

01:52in projected total income. Combined, the world's 10 highest paid soccer players are set to earn an

01:59estimated $945 million during the 2025-26 campaign, with the cutoff for inclusion on the list rising to

02:07the $43 million total of Barcelona's teenage sensation, Lamine Jamal, up from Kevin De Bruyne's

02:14$39 million at Manchester City last season. However, the top 10 is collectively down nearly 4%

02:22from 2024-25, in large part because Neymar, number three on last year's list and one of soccer's best

02:29paid players ever, has fallen out of the ranking entirely. Last season, the Brazilian star was in

02:35line to collect $110 million, including $80 million from his contract with Saudi pro-league

02:41club Al-Halal. However, Neymar and the team agreed to terminate his deal in January, and he returned to

02:48Santos, his boyhood club in Brazil, in a move that required him to take a significant pay cut.

02:53Even after he signed a new contract in June that reportedly gives him the option to stay put through

02:59the 2026 World Cup, Forbes estimates Neymar will collect only $38 million in total earnings this

03:05season, the majority coming off the field. This year's earnings list is dominated by eight usual

03:12suspects. Kareem Benzema nabs the number three spot with $104 million in projected total earnings

03:18as he plays out the final year of his contract with Al-Itihad in Saudi Arabia. And Real Madrid's

03:25Kylian Mbappe, with an estimated $95 million, comes in at number four. Rounding out the top five is

03:32Erling Haaland, who signed a nine-and-a-half-year extension with Manchester City in January amid another

03:38dominant season that featured 22 goals in 31 Premier League games. His new deal pushes his estimated salary

03:45and expected bonuses to $60 million in 2025-26, on top of his off-field income of $20 million.

03:55Vinicius Jr. returns to the list at number six with expected total earnings of $60 million,

04:00but the 25-year-old forward, who was the youngest player in last year's ranking, can no longer claim

04:06that distinction. His Real Madrid teammate, Jude Bellingham, number nine this year with an estimated

04:12$44 million, is just 22 years old. But even he is older than Barcelona's Yamal, the first 18-year-old

04:19to crack the top 10 in the 22-year history of Forbes' soccer list. For full coverage and to see the whole

04:27list, check out Justin Birnbaum's piece on Forbes.com. This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.

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