Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes Highest Paid Football Players 2024 List, Earns Double Than Second Placed Lionel Messi (Check List)
Cristiano Ronaldo once again broke the record, this time off the field as the highest-paid football player in 2024. Lionel Messi finishes second with just less than half of what Ronaldo earns. Check the complete list below.
When it comes to records in football, there are very few lists without Cristiano Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr star even tops multiple lists with his scoring prowess. His on-field excellence is reflected in his off-field earnings also as the star owns many brands and commercial deals. He even broke the record as the fastest-growing YouTube Channel with his ‘UR.Cristiano’ channel. Now Forbes released a list of the highest-paid football players in 2024 and 39-year-old Ronaldo tops this list also with a whopping $ 285 Million earnings. Lionel Messi follows the Portuguese star with $ 135 Million in earnings. Check out the top-10 highest-paid footballers in 2024 below. MrBeast to Collaborate With Lionel Messi to Beat Cristiano Ronaldo in YouTube War? Here’s What Famous YouTuber Said.
Forbes Highest Paid Football Players 2024 List With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Top 2
While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been a the top of their game for over two decades now, many intriguing star players earn big bucks for their quality on the football field. Ronaldo with over 1 Billion social media followers, a number of brand endorsements, and a big pay-check from the Saudi Pro League team Al-Nassr is the highest-paid footballer in 2024. As per Forbes Ronaldo earns around $285 Million. Most of this comes from Al-Nassr who pays $200 Million to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Next is Ronaldo’s on-field competitor Lionel Messi. The Argentine star plays in MLS (Major League Soccer) with the Inter Miami CF franchise and has a very successful career. Adding to his on-field earnings of $ 60 Million from Inter Miami, Messi reportedly has an income of $ 135 Million. In Forbes’ top-10 highest-paid footballers in 2024 list he is the only representative from the MLS league. Lionel Messi Enters Cosmetics Industry With Signature Perfume 'Messi Eau de Parfum' (Watch Launch Video).
Forbes Top-10 Highest-Paid Footballers 2024 List
| Sr. No. | Player | Earnings | League |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $ 285 Million | Saudi Pro League |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | $ 135 Million | Major League Soccer |
| 3 | Neymar Jr. | $ 110 Million | Saudi Pro League |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | $ 104 Million | Saudi Pro League |
| 5 | Kylian Mbappe | $ 90 Million | La Liga |
| 6 | Erling Haaland | $ 60 Million | Premier League |
| 7 | Vinicius Jr | $ 55 Million | La Liga |
| 8 | Mohammed Salah | $ 53 Million | Premier League |
| 9 | Sadio Mane | $ 52 Million | Saudi Pro League |
| 10 | Kevin de Bruyne | $ 39 Million | Premier League |
While the Saudi Pro League is dominating the list with four players in the top-10 highest-earning footballers list, big clubs like Manchester City and Real Madrid also pay their stars handsomely. Lionel Messi, as mentioned earlier is the sole representative of Major League soccer with players from other top leagues like Bundesliga, French League 1, and Serie A are missing from the list.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 20, 2024 12:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).