Forbes: Ronaldo tops football's rich list at $300m as Yamal enters top 10
- Forbes ranks Cristiano Ronaldo the world's highest-paid footballer at an estimated $300 million this season.
- Lionel Messi is second on $145 million, with Kylian Mbappe third on $100 million.
- Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, 19, enters the top 10 in sixth place at $55 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the world's highest-paid footballer, with Forbes estimating his earnings this season at $300 million — more than double the figure for Lionel Messi in second place.
The Forbes ranking, reported by Vanguard and Daily Post, puts Messi on $145 million and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe third on $100 million. The figures cover salaries, bonuses and commercial deals, calculated before taxes and agents' fees.
The biggest new name on the list is Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old Spain international is sixth with an estimated $55 million — $35 million from football and $20 million from endorsements, including American Eagle, Coca-Cola and McDonald's.
Where the money comes from
Forbes estimates the top 10 will earn a combined $942 million this season, with Ronaldo and Messi accounting for nearly half of that total.
Ronaldo, 41, earns $250 million from football at Al Nassr and $50 million from endorsements and business ventures such as his CR7 brand and hotels. Messi's split is closer: about $70 million on the pitch at Inter Miami and $75 million off it.
The rest of the top 10, according to Forbes:
- 4. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — $85 million
- 5. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) — $76 million
- 6. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) — $55 million
- 7. Sadio Mane (Al Nassr) — $54 million
- 8. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) — $45 million
- 9. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) — $42 million
- 10. Mohamed Salah — $40 million
The two outlets differ on Salah's club. Vanguard describes him as a former Liverpool star, while Daily Post lists him at Trabzonspor. Both agree on his $40 million total, split evenly between football and endorsements.
Why it matters to Nigerian fans
Two African players make the top 10: Senegal's Sadio Mane, seventh at $54 million, and Egypt's Mohamed Salah, tenth at $40 million.
For Nigerian supporters, the list shows how much money now sits in the global game — and how few African players reach its very top. The players Nigerians watch most on television sit near the summit of the earnings table.
Yamal's entry at 19 also signals a generational shift. Forbes notes that younger stars such as Yamal, Mbappe, Haaland and Bellingham are becoming football's biggest commercial names, even as Ronaldo and Messi still dominate the earnings table.
