Cristiano Ronaldo has once again topped the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid footballers for the 2025–26 season, marking the sixth time in the past decade that the Portuguese superstar has claimed the top spot.
The achievement comes just over a week after Bloomberg declared the 40-year-old Al Nassr forward football’s first billionaire.
With estimated total earnings of $280 million, Ronaldo’s income for the year is more than double that of his longtime rival Lionel Messi, who sits in second place with $130 million.
Record-breaking year for football legend
Ronaldo, who recently renewed his contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, will earn $230 million on the field this season, including bonuses and commercial incentives tied to his club. Off the field, he is set to collect $50 million from global sponsors such as Nike, Binance, and Herbalife.
“I think I’m still producing good things; I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not keep going?” Ronaldo told Portugal’s Canal 11 in October, brushing aside retirement rumours that followed his UEFA Nations League triumph with Portugal this summer.
Also Read: Ronaldo becomes football's first billionaire, says report
According to Forbes, only one athlete in history has earned more in a single year — boxer Floyd Mayweather, who made $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
Messi, Benzema, Mbappé round out top four
Lionel Messi ranks second at $130 million, driven largely by his lucrative off-field endorsements with global brands. French forward Karim Benzema takes third place with $104 million, boosted by his final-year contract at Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé is fourth at $95 million, followed by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, whose record-breaking nine-and-a-half-year contract extension raises his on-field earnings to $60 million, plus another $20 million in sponsorships.
Saudi Arabia’s influence shrinks, but remains strong
Three players from the Saudi Pro League made the 2025 list — Ronaldo (1st), Benzema (3rd), and Sadio Mané (8th, $54 million). That’s one fewer than last year after Neymar’s January return to Brazil.
The Brazilian star, who ranked third last season with $110 million, now earns a comparatively modest $38 million with Santos, mostly from endorsements.
La Liga dominates Top 10 with rising stars
Spain’s La Liga leads all leagues with four representatives: Mbappé (4th), Vinicius Jr (6th, $60 million), Jude Bellingham (9th, $44 million), and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal (10th, $43 million).
At just 18 years old, Yamal becomes the youngest player ever to make Forbes’ list in its 22-year history. The Premier League follows with two players — Haaland and Mohamed Salah (7th, $55 million) — while Messi remains the sole representative of Major League Soccer through Inter Miami.
Generational shift in global football wealth
The combined earnings of the top 10 footballers amount to $945 million, a slight 4% dip from last year due to Neymar’s departure. Yet, Forbes notes that five of the 10 players are aged 29 or younger, marking the largest share of young stars since 2020.
With the average age of the list falling below 30 for the first time in five years, the rise of Bellingham and Yamal signals a new era. Still, at 40, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to define the upper echelon of global football — both in performance and pay.
Full Forbes Top 10 Highest-Paid Footballers 2025–26
-
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) – $280 million
-
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) – $130 million
-
Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad) – $104 million
-
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) – $95 million
-
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – $80 million
-
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) – $60 million
-
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – $55 million
-
Sadio Mané (Al Nassr) – $54 million
-
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) – $44 million
-
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) – $43 million
