After one month of blockbuster footballing action in the FIFA World Cup, club football is finally back. The leagues have resumed and considering the time of the footballing calendar we are in, the January transfer window is about to open, and it has resulted in more activity in the Transfer window. Already young Dutch sensation Cody Gakpo has joined Liverpool and in a shocking transfer, Cristiano Ronaldo has secured a move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr FC. As the details of Ronaldo's contract surfaces, the numbers coming out are quite staggering. Cristiano Ronaldo Presented Al Nassr’s Jersey No. 7 As Transfer Deal Confirmed (See Pic).

The Sport of football has seen some of the highest paid athletes ever, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo creating their own league. Also, with the Middle Eastern owners entering the European football arena, the flow of money in football has completely changed. Player contracts now doesn't only include the salary on field. It also contains endorsements, commercial sponsorship deals and image rights money.  All these combined create the whooping big money contracts for superstar football players. Here is the list of five football players with the largest soccer contracts and annual earnings.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr FC ($200 Million/ Year):

In a surprise move which is all set to effectively end his tenure in top level club football, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half-year contract for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr FC. Although the deal is not much rewarding in terms of footballing level, it is definitely rewarding in terms of monetary level. The deal which has $90 million on field earning clubbed with $110 million endorsement earnings, will make him the highest paid footballer ever with the total moving near $200 million per year. Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer News: Portuguese Superstar Makes Big-money Move to Saudi Arabian Club Al Nassr FC.

2. Kylian Mbappe, PSG ($ 128 Million/ Year):

The 24-year-old World Cup winner was the highest paid footballer for the last six months after he denied Real Madrid's interest to extend his contract at PSG in the summer of 2022. With his on field annual earning standing at $110 million and endorsements adding up to $18 Million, the French superstar is the highest paid footballer in Europe with his total earning moving to $128 million per year. His skills and stardom makes sure he will dominate the commercial market in football for the next decade after Messi and Ronaldo.

3. Lionel Messi, PSG ($ 111 Million/ Year):

Lionel Messi was the leading earner in sports in 2019 ($127 million) as he was honouring his 4-Years contract in FC Barcelona. But the Financial Fair Play rules and Barcelona's broken financial system meant they couldn't afford keeping Messi any further in the team after his contract ended and the Argentina superstar was signed by PSG for a massive contract which had on-field annual earnings of $65 million added with endorsement earnings of $55 millions taking it upto $111 million per year.

4.  Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United ($ 100 Million/ Year):

As we know, Cristiano Ronaldo had a bittersweet tenure with Manchester United before joining Al Nassr FC. His homecoming from Juventus was not only emotional but also expensive. The Portuguese star was paid an on-field annual salary of $40 millions with endorsement earnings running upto $60 millions, together taking it to a huge $100 million per year contract. Cristiano Ronaldo Completes Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr Transfer, Officially Signs Contract for Two Seasons.

5.  Neymar, PSG ($ 87 Million/ Year):

One of the most memorable and controversial transfers of footballing history is Neymar Jr's move from FC Barcelona to PSG. The Qatar owned club really broke their banks to make a statement signing as not only did they pay a hefty release clause for the Brazilian but also signed him on a whooping contract of $55 million on-field annual earning added with endorsement earnings of $32 million, combining up to $87 million per year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2022 04:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).