Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new Al Nassr contract to stay top of the highest-earning footballers list. Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe unsurprisingly join him in the top 10, while Lionel Messi and Neymar, surprisingly, do not.
This ranking is based on weekly wages only — no bonuses included — with most figures sourced from Capology.
Who is the highest-earning male footballer in the world?
10) Mohamed Salah – £ 400,000 per week
Salah ended speculation about his Liverpool future by penning a new contract in April. Since signing a £400k-a-week deal lasting until June 2027, the Egyptian has scored two and assisted one in seven Premier League matches. Noticing.
MORE: Outrageous stats of Mohamed Salah as Liverpool legend breaks multiple records on final day
9) Ivan Toney – £414,006 per week
By far the highest-paid English footballer, Toney is earning a fortune after leaving Brentford last summer. He wanted Arsenal or Real Madrid and ended up in Saudi Arabia.
8) Kyian Mbappe – £507,161 p/w
Mbappe is Real Madrid’s highest earner and reportedly brings in another £600k per week in bonuses.
Running down your contract is the modern footballer’s power move — no transfer fee, just a bumper salary and signing-on bonus. Mbappe played it perfectly.
7) Erling Haaland – £ 525,000 P/W
The Nordic robot has the most lucrative contract in the Premier League. In January 2025, Manchester City confirmed an outrageous nine-year contract extension for Haalandlasting 115 months. Very clever, lads.
MORE: A reminder: ridiculous new Haaland contract is actually all about Liverpool
6) Robert Lewandowski – £ 540,918 p/w
And Barcelona are in a crippling financial position how? It truly is baffling!
5) Kalidou Koulibaly – £ 563,152 P/W
This ranking is not reflective of player ability. Kalidou Koulibaly is not the fifth-best player in world football. In fact, he doesn’t come remotely close. Saudi Arabia bailed Chelsea out by taking him off their hands after one rubbish year at Stamford Bridge.
4) Sadio Mane – £649,166 p/w
The Saudi Pro League took the world by storm in the 2023 summer window and Koulibaly’s Senegal team-mate Mane was one of the biggest names to head east. The Liverpool icon is raking it in; only three footballers earn more.
3) RIYAD Mahrez – £ 847,162 P/W
Leicester City title hero Mahrez had done it all in England and rode off into the Saudi sunset having completed it, mate.
2) Karim Benzema – £1.59m p/w
In a huge statement of intent, Al Ittihad brought the Ballon d’Or holder and Real Madrid captain to Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t get much bigger than that. All it took was £1.6million a week.
1) Cristiano Ronaldo – £ 3.4MP/W
Ahead by a country mile and then some, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-earning footballer in the world. He’s just agreed fresh terms to stay at Al Nassr for another two years — when he’ll be 42.
The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend is still banging them in while entertaining those of us who refuse to watch the Saudi Pro League with some gloriously childish antics.
READ NOW: So-called ‘world record’ holder Cristiano Ronaldo has actually scored zero proper goals for Portugal
