Cristiano Ronaldo, the striker of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr and the Portuguese national team, became the highest-paid footballer in the world in the 2024/25 season.
This was reported by Forbes magazine.
Forbes estimated Ronaldo’s income to be a record $285 million for football. Of this amount, $220 million came from the club and another $65 million from non-football-related activities (such as advertising contracts).
Ronaldo is the most popular football player in the world. He was recently the first to reach a billion followers on social media. Forbes notes that among all the athletes the magazine has been following since 1990, only boxer Floyd Mayweather has managed to earn even more in one year.
Lionel Messi, the forward of the American Inter Miami and the Argentine national team, took second place in the ranking, with an income of $135 million. Neymar, a striker for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and the Brazilian national team, came in third, with an estimated revenue of $110 million.
According to Forbes, the world’s ten highest-paid football players will earn $983 million in the 2024/25 season. The majority of this amount will go to players from Saudi Arabian clubs.
