The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2022: Kylian Mbappé Claims No. 1 As Erling Haaland Debuts

By Justin Birnbaum W hen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi each crossed $100 million in total annual earnings for the first time in 2018, both were in their 30s, at the respective heights of their careers. Kylian Mbappé didn’t wait nearly as long, achieving the feat at just 23 years old. Forbes estimates the French superstar will earn $128 million for the 2022-23 season before taxes and agents’ fees, a record for our annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid soccer players that lands him the No.

1 spot. Despite rumors of a move to La Liga’s Real Madrid, which even spurred a plea from French President Emmanuel Macron to stay, Mbappé in May signed a three-year contract extension to remain in his homeland with Ligue 1 powerhouse Paris-Saint Germain. Under the terms of his deal, which like most soccer contracts are not public, Mbappé will collect roughly $110 million between his salary and a share of his signing bonus for this season, according to industry experts.

That is in addition to the estimated $18 million in annual endorsements Mbappé earns from a stable of partners that include Nike, Dior, Hublot, Oakley and Panini. His interests off the field don’t end there: Mbappé recently appeared on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA video game for the third consecutive year; founded his own production company, Zebra Valley; and joined fantasy NFT platform Sorare as both an ambassador and an investor. “He’s a global icon already,” Sorare cofounder and CEO Nicolas Julia told Forbes in June.

“He wants to aid the world and show, also, that huge things can be built out of France. ” Mbappé’s ascension places Messi and Ronaldo in unfamiliar territory. The pair had owned the top two spots on the earnings list each year since 2014 , topping out at $127 million (Messi in 2019) and $125 million (Ronaldo in 2021).

(Messi has gone even higher—$130 million in 2021 and 2022—on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes , which uses a different tracking window that looks at the past 12 months ending in May. ) The stars now slip to second and third, respectively. That’s not to say soccer’s two most decorated players have ceded any of their earning power, especially off the field, in the twilight of their careers.

Messi, 35, is expected to rake in $110 million this season ($55 million off the field) while Ronaldo, 37, is slated to earn $100 million ($60 million off the field, more than any other player). Both signed lucrative deals with cryptocurrency companies over the past year, with Messi getting $20 million annually from Socios. com and Ronaldo partnering with Binance for an undisclosed sum.

In total, the ten highest-paid soccer players are expected to collect record pretax earnings of $652 million this season, up 11% from last year’s $585 million. The top three alone account for more than 50% of that figure. Salary and bonus still represent the bulk of the total, improving 7% to $444 million.

While Covid-19 losses previously put a damper on player movement, a recovery seems to be in full effect. According to a report from Deloitte, Premier League clubs spent a record $2. 2 billion on transfers this summer, 67% higher than a year ago.

“If you look at the spending in the summer transfer window in the Premier League, it just tells you a story that soccer, as the most popular sport in the world, will always be interesting for investors,” says Kenneth Cortsen, a sports economist at University College of Northern Denmark. “The attractiveness of sports products are dependent on investments in talent, and there is a scarcity when it comes to top talent that can play in top leagues, and especially play a positive and transformative role in lifting the performance of top teams. ” Roughly two months into the season, arguably no player has been as transformative as Erling Haaland.

The 22-year-old has proved to be worth every penny of the $63 million transfer fee Manchester City paid, scoring 19 goals in just 11 Premier League and Champions League games. The Norwegian comes in at No. 6 on this year’s list and is expected to pull in $35 million in salary and bonus this season, plus $4 million in endorsements.

Haaland, who makes his first top appearance in the earnings top ten, joins Mbappé as the only players under age 30 to make this year’s list, ushering in a youth movement that is set to dominate global soccer for years to come. “There’s always another sports star around the corner, and when some heroes fade, new heroes arise,” Cortsen says, adding, “There’s no doubt that the names Mbappé, especially now with Haaland will be on the minds of sports fans and consumers. ” After collecting three of the last four Ligue 1 Player of the Year Awards, Mbappé has cemented himself as the face of French soccer.

He’s flexed that influence of late. Mbappé refused to participate in a photoshoot and other sponsor activities in protest of the French national team’s image rights agreement with its players; the French Football Federation has announced it will review the matter. Messi already earns a king’s ransom off the pitch, but industry experts suggest that figure could grow by as much as 20% if he leads Argentina to a World Cup victory in November.

(The nation is tied for the third-best odds right now. ) Either way, the 35-year-old star has publicly said Qatar 2022 will “surely” be his final World Cup. He’s also rumored to be considering a return to FC Barcelona, where he spent the first 17 years of his senior career, in 2023.

Despite a sharp decrease in playing time, Ronaldo is the world’s highest-earning soccer player off the pitch thanks to partners like Nike, Herbalife and Livescore. Reports suggest Ronaldo could be hunting for a new home during the January transfer window, giving him a chance to return to Champions League play (Manchester United didn’t qualify for 2022-23). He also boasts an astonishing 486 million followers on Instagram.

Neymar made history in 2017 with a record $263 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. In May 2021, he re-upped through 2025, and he helped convince Messi to come aboard later that year. Neymar continues to excel as a pitchman, adding Ooredoo Group as a sponsor in advance of the World Cup.

After a stellar campaign that nearly delivered Liverpool the Premier League title on the last day of the season, Salah was named England’s Men’s Footballer of the Year and Playmaker of the Season, and also received the league’s Golden Boot Award. In July, he signed a three-year extension to stay with Liverpool through 2025, and he remains one of Adidas’ biggest global stars. Forbes estimates Haaland earns $4 million in endorsements annually from sponsors like Hyperice, Samsung and Viaplay, but that number is poised to skyrocket.

Reports suggest Haaland’s next shoe deal could be worth as much as $18 million annually. His previous agreement with Nike expired this year. Lewandowski has been quick to justify the roughly $45 million transfer fee FC Barcelona paid in 2022 to acquire him from Bayern Munich, with 12 goals in ten matches played.

The Polish national is endorsed by Nike and has his own “RL9” clothing line. This year, he ended a long-term arrangement with Huawei based on reports that the company supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hazard’s disappointing tenure with Real Madrid—six goals in 72 La Liga and Champions League matches spread over four seasons—has fueled constant rumors of a return to Chelsea.

The 31-year-old previously appeared on the cover of EA Sports’ FIFA 20 video game. The 38-year-old launched his own sportswear brand in September. Called Capitten, it debuted with a limited-edition launch of a signature cleat and is aimed toward the Japanese market.

Iniesta will also appear in an upcoming documentary about the FIFA World Cup. Despite signing with Roc Nation in 2019, De Bruyne and his father led negotiations that yielded his latest contract with Manchester City, employing the help of data firm Analytics FC with the process. He has 11 brand deals that include Nike, Wow Hydrate, Credit Karma and Therabody.

The Forbes ranking of the world’s highest-paid soccer players represents the combined total of on-field earnings for the 2022-23 season, including base salaries and bonuses, and off-field estimates that reflect annual cash from endorsements, licensing, appearances and memorabilia, as well as businesses operated by the players. The figures are derived through publicly available databases, like Capology. com, and conversations with industry insiders, including Tancredi Palmeri.

All figures are converted to U. S. dollars using the current exchange rate.

Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold. Forbes does not deduct taxes or agents’ fees. Transfer fees are excluded.

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