Our Writers · 2026-10-22
The Richest Footballers and Highest-Paid Players of 2026: Ronaldo, Messi and the New Generation
Football has two money tables: who is richest (net worth) and who earns most this season (salary plus endorsements). One man tops both.
The richest footballers (net worth)
- Cristiano Ronaldo — about $1.2 billion. 2. Lionel Messi — $0.85–1.1 billion. 3. David Beckham — $450–700 million (with Victoria Beckham). 4. Neymar — $380–450 million. 5. Karim Benzema — $200–300 million. 6. Kylian Mbappé — $200–275 million. 7. Zlatan Ibrahimović — $190 million. 8. Wayne Rooney — $170 million. Estimates differ between sources; ours are from Futbol Update and Vermögen Magazin.
The highest-paid of 2026/27 (Forbes estimate)
Cristiano Ronaldo — $300 million (Al Nassr), Lionel Messi — $145 million (Inter Miami), Kylian Mbappé — $100 million (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland — $85 million (Manchester City), Vinícius Júnior — $76 million (Real Madrid), Lamine Yamal — $55 million (FC Barcelona). The $300 million figure made headlines far beyond football, for example in 24 Kanal (24 Канал).
Off the pitch is where fortunes are made
For the top names, sponsorship and business income rival or exceed salary — which is why retired players such as Beckham keep climbing.
The new generation
Lamine Yamal and Vinícius Júnior are on the earnings list long before they could build a Ronaldo-size fortune; if they keep their earnings and invest them, they are tomorrow's richest.
Bigger than football
Even Ronaldo's billion is small next to the richest superstars, led by Steven Spielberg at $7.1 billion and Michael Jordan at $4.3 billion — athletes and artists who turned fame into companies.
Full lists: richest footballers and highest-paid footballers.
Figures: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires and companiesmarketcap.com as shown on our rankings on 22 October 2026; net worth is an estimate and moves every trading day. This article is information, not financial advice.
Sources:
our footballer rankings (Futbol Update, Vermögen Magazin, Forbes España list of the highest-paid footballers 2026); 300 миллионов долларов доходов: Forbes составил рейтинг самых высокооплачиваемых футболистов мира (24 Канал).