The highest-paid footballers in the world

Who earns the most in a year — not only net worth. The first ten are the Forbes list of the highest-paid soccer players 2026/27 (read in Spanish, Italian and German); two retired players show what a famous name still earns. Live figures as of 2026-10. Net worth is an estimate: the figures below are those of the sources named under each entry, not our own calculation, and they move with every stock-market day.

1. 1
   

   Cristiano Ronaldo

   $300 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Al Nassr · On the pitch $250 M · off the pitch $50 M · Portugal

   3 sources: Forbes España [es] ($300 M (pitch $250 M · off-pitch $50 M)) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($300 M ($250 M Al Nassr + $50 M Nike, Binance, Herbalife…)) · oe24 [de] ($300 M)

2. 2
   

   Lionel Messi

   $145 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Inter Miami · On the pitch $70 M · off the pitch $75 M · Argentina

   3 sources: Forbes España [es] ($145 M (pitch $70 M · off-pitch $75 M)) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($145 M) · oe24 [de] ($145 M)

3. 3
   

   Kylian Mbappé

   $100 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Real Madrid · On the pitch $70 M · off the pitch $30 M · France

   3 sources: Forbes España [es] ($100 M) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($100 M (pitch $70 M · sponsors $30 M)) · oe24 [de] ($100 M)

4. 4
   

   Erling Haaland

   $85 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Manchester City · On the pitch $60 M · off the pitch $25 M · Norway

   3 sources: Forbes España [es] ($85 M (pitch $60 M · off-pitch $25 M)) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($85 M) · oe24 [de] ($85 M)

5. 5
   

   Vinícius Júnior

   $76 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Real Madrid · On the pitch $48 M · off the pitch $28 M · Brazil

   2 sources: Forbes España [es] ($76 M (pitch $48 M · off-pitch $28 M)) · oe24 [de] ($76 M)

7. 6
   

   Lamine Yamal

   $55 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   FC Barcelona · Split between pitch and off-pitch not read yet · Spain

   2 sources: Forbes España [es] ($55 M) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($55 M (+$12 M in a year))

8. 7
   

   Sadio Mané

   $54 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

   Al Nassr · On the pitch $50 M · off the pitch $4 M · Senegal

   Source: Forbes España [es] ($54 M (pitch $50 M · off-pitch $4 M))

9. 8
   

   David Beckham

   ≈ $51 M in dividends (£38.5 M) from his brand company

   Retired since 2013 · co-owner Inter Miami · DRJB Holdings (45%): Bank of America, McDonald’s, Verizon, Lay’s, Hugo Boss, Adidas · England

   4 sources: BBC News (£38.5 M share of dividends; company profit almost £50 M in 2025 (+46%)) · Heavy (≈ $51 M (£38.5 M); owns 45% of DRJB) · Marca [es] (≈ $51 M in dividends (2025 dividends plus a special dividend in 2026), citing The Guardian) · Indulge Express (also appears in films and TV (Goal!, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., King Arthur))

10. 9
    

    Jude Bellingham

    $45 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

    Real Madrid · On the pitch $29 M · off the pitch $16 M · England

    2 sources: Forbes España [es] ($45 M (pitch $29 M · off-pitch $16 M)) · oe24 [de] ($45 M)

11. 10
    

    Harry Kane

    $42 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

    Bayern München · On the pitch $29 M · off the pitch $13 M · England

    3 sources: Forbes España [es] ($42 M) · Calcio e Finanza [it] ($42 M (pitch $29 M · sponsors $13 M)) · oe24 [de] ($42 M)

12. 11
    

    Mohamed Salah

    $40 M earned (2026/27, Forbes estimate)

    Split between pitch and off-pitch not read yet · Egypt

    2 sources: Forbes España [es] ($40 M) · oe24 [de] ($40 M)

13. 12

    Ronaldo Nazário

    ≈ R$ 1 M a month from Nike (reported) + new campaigns

    Retired since 2011 · campaigns for Itaú, Doritos, Mercado Livre · ≈ $2 M a year from Nike alone · Brazil

    2 sources: Jornal Cruzeiro [pt] (R$ 1 million a month from Nike (reported)) · InfoMoney [pt] (new campaigns for Itaú, Doritos and Mercado Livre; no amount given)

Not financial advice. More lists are on the home page.