Top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world in 2023

The salaries for the best players continue to rise exponentially.

These football players are among the top ten highest-paid footballers in the game, earning large sums of money from their respective teams. We have seen how the list changes, and with Ronaldo's new singing. Ronaldo is the best-paid earner in football, with Lionel Messi coming in third. And there are many fresh faces as the highest earners in football in 2022.

And this list includes a combination of young and veteran players who are currently the highest-paid players in football. Let's have a look at the list below.

10. Kevin de Bruyne – 25M/ year

The Manchester City midfielder earns a great deal of money and is ranked 10th among football's biggest payers. Although his earnings are not solely from Manchester City, the player promotes a number of major firms, including Nike, Wow Hydrate, Credit Karma, and Therabody. Kevin de Bruyne gets 25 million each year at Manchester City and 25 million from endorsement.

9. Eden Hazard – 27M/ year

Hazard has been a redundant player since his transfer from Chelsea, and the slump in form has been disappointing for Belgium. But the player more than makes up for it with his enormous earnings from the club, as Hazard earns a total of 27 million euros per year while playing at Real Madrid. And the athlete's off-field wage is also enticing, with four million dollars, since the player is also on the cover of FIFA 20.

8. Robert Lewandowski – 27M/year

After leaving Bayern Munich in 2022, the Polish striker is having a productive season at Barcelona. But the player has been faithful to form, as he tops the chart with the most goals in LA Liga, and for this reason, he is regarded as a great striker in Europe. As any team would like, Barcelona had to pay 45 million euros to match Bayern's expectations. The 34-year-old earns a significant amount of money from clubs and sponsorships. With 27 million from Barcelona and eight endorsements for Nike, as well as his own clothing line, RL9.

7. Andres Iniesta – 31M/ year

Iniesta, one of the finest midfielders, has long since left Barcelona, but the player continues to make money from his current team, Vissel Kobe. Iniesta, 38, is the oldest player on the list, earning 31 million dollars a year for his Chinese club. While five million dollars have been generated from endorsements, the footballer has created his own apparel business, Capitten.

6. Erling Haaland – 35M/ year

The 22-year-old has been relentless this season at his new team, and with 21 goals in the 2022/23 season, Haaland is on the cusp of breaking Premier League records. But all of these endeavours have paid off, as Haaland is now among the top earners in football for the first time. The former Dortmund star earns 35 million euros each year from his clubs and he earns four million euros through partnerships with Hyperice, Samsung, and Viaplay. According to rumours, he is about to sign another brand agreement worth 18 million dollars.

5. Mohamed Salah – 35M/ year  

Salah is the sixth most-paid footballer, earning $35 million a year as a Liverpool player. Salah has won everything at Liverpool and also renewed his contract in the summer for a large salary increase. He also makes a lot from brand endorsements and is one of Adidas' top athletes, earning 18 million from marketing the company.

4. Neymar – 37M/ year

Neymar was anticipated to earn large sums after joining PSG in 2017 at a world record cost of $263 million. The Brazilian has done well for the club, and with 37 million euros annually in PSG jerseys, he is the fourth greatest earning in football. While the 30-year-old often promotes numerous famous products, he earns another 32 million off the field. One of the most wealthy football players.

3. Lionel Messi – 41M/ year

Lionel Messi joined PSG on a free transfer after his surprise exit from Barcelona and became one of the club's biggest earners alongside Mbappe and Neymar. Messi's yearly compensation is 41 million euros, however, this is not yet the case. The 35-year-old earns $48 million by endorsing major products such as watches, Fizzy, pop, telecommunications, sportswear, sports drink, beer, video games, an oil state, and crisps.

2. Kylian Mbappe – 63M/ year

It required PSG additional effort to convince the 23-year-old to continue at PSG, which resulted in a new lucrative deal worth one million euros per week for the French midfielder. Before Ronaldo's departure to Al-Nassr, the youngster had surpassed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the most-paid football player. The 2018 World Cup champion earns 62 million euros per year as a PSG player and 20 million euros from endorsements.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 214M/ per year

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the country's wealthiest football player with his transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr, with a lucrative contract that will enable him to earn 177 million each year as an AL-Nassr player, and this is just his club's compensation. Ronaldo has his own apparel and perfume business called CR7, as well as collaborations that pay him $60 million, making him the wealthiest football player and sportsman in the world.