Top 10 Richest Football Players

Football is one of the most beloved sports globally which makes it quite obvious for its star players to be worth millions. These players not only command humongous salaries to play for their respective soccer clubs but have also ventured into other businesses and have enlarged their brand values. So check out which footballers have made it to this list of the top 10 richest football players. 

10. Alexandre Pato - $145 Million

Brazilian professional footballer, Alexandre Pato has a net worth of $145 million as of 2024. He began his career at Internacional, winning the Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup in 2006, before playing for clubs like Corinthians, São Paulo, Villarreal, Chelsea, and Tianjin Quanjian, earning an annual salary of $200,000 per month. Alexandre Pato has earned approximately $26,934,344 gross in his playing career. In addition to his football income, he boosts his wealth through contracts, collaborations, and brand endorsements, earning between $840,000 and $1.1 million from individual endorsements.

9. Ronaldo Nazario - $160 Million

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian player with a total net worth of $160 million as of 2024. The youngest player to receive the Ballon d’Or, Ronaldo has played for the Brazilian National team, PSV Eindhoven, F.C. Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and A.C. Milan. At his peak, Ronaldo was one of the highest paid footballers in the world, earning between $200 million and $250 million, according to Goal. Ronaldo also had a 10-year contract and a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike, earning a total of $180 million. Ronaldo purchased a 51% stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid in 2018 for about $35 million and has since increased his ownership to 82%. He also owned the football department of the Brazilian club Cruzeiro, buying a 90% stake for $78 million in 2021 and selling it for $117 million this year.

8. Wayne Rooney - $170 Million

British footballer and coach, Wayne Rooney has a net worth of around $170 million as of 2024. Wayne played for Manchester United until 2017 and also signed a three-year deal with Major League Soccer's D.C. United. His peak salary while playing for Manchester United was $20 million per year, while his three-year stint at the D.C. United earned him around $3 million annually as a player and $1 million per year as a coach. Additionally, Wayne Rooney is set to become Birmingham City’s new manager, earning $1.8 million a year, or about $35,000 a week. Apart from his football career, Rooney also signed a five-book deal with HarperCollins for around $6.5 million apart from royalties. As for endorsements, Rooney used to earn around $5 million a year, which included about $1 million from Nike along with deals with brands like Nokia, Coca-Cola, and Ford.

7. Kylian Mbappé - $180 Million

One of the highest-paid footballers in the world, Kylian Mbappé is a French professional footballer with a net worth of $180 million as of 2024. Playing professionally since the age of 16, he has earned around $371 million from football alone. Currently playing for Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé earns around $16 million a year and received a signing bonus of $163 million. Prior to this, he signed one of the most lucrative deals in football history with Paris Saint-Germain, worth $160 million, which included a base salary of $53 million and a $106 million signing bonus. Kylian Mbappé earns around $15.3 million per year from Nike and may soon launch his own Nike brand. Overall, he makes close to $70 million annually from endorsements, which also include features in the EA Sports Football video game.

6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - $190 Million

Considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a former Swedish footballer with a total net worth of $190 million as of 2024. Ibrahimovic has played for several top teams, including Malmö FF, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and AC Milan, among others. Known as the highest goal scorer for Sweden, Ibrahimovic earned a peak annual salary of $35 million at Manchester United, with $27 million in his final year. When he joined LA Galaxy in 2018, his salary was $7.2 million. Off the field, he has notable partnerships, including being the ambassador for H&M Move and leading Samsung's ‘What’s next?’ campaign in 2018.

5. Dave Whelan - $210 Million

Former English footballer, Dave Whelan has a net worth of $210 million as of 2024. Born in 1936, Whelan played for Blackburn Rovers till 1960 and retired the same year when he broke his leg in the FA Cup final. After his career as a footballer, Whelan became an entrepreneur and opened up a series of supermarkets, Whelan's Discount Stores, which he eventually sold for $2.4 million in 1977. The same year, Whelan acquired a sporting and fishing store in Wigan called JJB. Whelan went on to sell all of his stakes for a total of $78 million by 2007. Wigan also purchased the Wigan Athletic Football Club in 1995 and played a crucial role in getting the team to the Premier League. 

4. Neymar Jr. - $250 Million

Neymar Jr. is a Brazilian football player with a net worth of $250 million as of 2024. Popular for representing the Brazilian National team, and teams like Santos, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. Neymar has signed a contract with a Saudi club, Al Hilal, which will earn him a base salary of $100 million as per ESPN. His luxurious incentives include a private plane, a 25-bedroom mansion with a large swimming pool and three saunas, and a team of five full-time staff. He will have a collection of high-end cars, including a Bentley, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini, with a 24-hour driver. Moreover, Neymar will earn approximately $530,000 for each social media post promoting Saudi Arabia. Additionally, his partnerships with brands such as Panasonic, Volkswagen, Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever, and Santander, along with a long-term deal as a brand ambassador for Puma, help him earn between $20 million and $30 million a year from endorsements alone. 

3. David Beckham - $450 Million

English footballer player and philanthropist, David Beckham’s net worth as of 2024 is estimated to be around $450 million. Playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain, Beckham is one of the most recognizable footballers in the world. Beckham earned only $6.5 million from his salary during his career, with the rest of his wealth coming from sponsorship and endorsement deals. He also played six seasons in MLS for the L. A Galaxy, from which he earned a revenue of $235 million. Some of Beckham’s business ventures include the purchase of the Inter Miami team and a 10-year deal worth $210 million to be Qatar's tourism ambassador.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - $800 Million

Portuguese football player, Cristiano Ronaldo has a net worth of $800 million as of October 2024. Ronaldo’s estimated total earnings of $280 million make him the world’s highest-paid athlete for the fourth time in his career, with $220 million from his salary and $60 million from endorsements. Moreover, Ronaldo struck a 2.5-year deal worth $536 million with a Saudi team called Al Nassr, where he earned a massive $214 million annual salary. Apart from Ronaldo’s salaries, he commands a high brand value, earning around $50 million annually from endorsements alone. This includes a $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike, which he signed in 2016.

1. Lionel Messi - $850 Million

Considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time and the highest-paid soccer player in the world, Lionel Messi is an Argentinian athlete with a total net worth of $850 million as of October 2024. Messi earned $135 million, with $65 million from his salary and $70 million from endorsements in 2024. Lionel Messi played for the Argentina National Team and used to play for Barcelona FC, which was a major source of his income. His contract with Barcelona earned him $168 million a year, making it the second-biggest sports contract ever and the third highest annual salary in sports history. Currently, he is signed with Inter Miami on a two-and-a-half-year contract that runs until the end of the 2025 season, with an option to extend. His base salary is $12 million, with total guaranteed compensation exceeding $20.4 million, along with special add-ons like an equity stake in the club and partnerships with Adidas and Apple. Messi also has lucrative deals from brands like Adidas earning around $40 million annually and has been sponsored by them since 2006. Additionally, he has a $25 million endorsement deal with Visit Saudi. Overall, Messi has earned a total of $900 million in salary and a total of $400 million from brand endorsement deals. 

Honorable Mention

Faiq Bolkiah

Faiq Bolkiah, a professional footballer and member of the Brunei royal family, has an estimated net worth of $20 billion, making him the richest football player in the world. He doesn’t make the cut as his wealth comes from being a prince of Brunei, one of the wealthiest royals globally, rather than from his football career. Even with his vast fortune, Faiq Bolkiah has chosen to follow his passion for football. He has played for clubs like Leicester City, and Marítimo, and is currently with Ratchaburi in Thailand. Despite his incredible wealth, Faiq lives a surprisingly simple life. He drives a Toyota Yaris to training, while his family owns nearly 600 Rolls-Royces.

There you have the top 10 richest footballers. Their global reach has not only helped them earn a massive following but has also allowed them to leverage their fame to earn lucrative endorsement deals.