Football is a lucrative business but there are some players who are earning more than the others in the beautiful game.
We rank the five footballers who take home the biggest wage per week.
5. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)-£750,000 per week
Inter Miami agreed a complex deal with the Argentine to make him the most expensive addition in MLS history, handing Messi a contract worth £750,000-a-week. The deal includes profit sharing with two of MLS’ biggest partners, Apple and Adidas, while there is also an option to own a stake in Inter Miami when his contract with the club expires.
4. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)-£1.2m per week
Paris Saint-Germain’s plea to persuade Kylian Mbappe to sign a new deal in 2022 saw the Parisians break the bank to finance a new contract for the forward.
Mbappe’s two-year extension with the Ligue 1 side earned him £1.2m per week, a record at that time, after the forward turned down an approach from Real Madrid in favour of signing a new deal at the Parc des Princes.
3. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)-£1.6m per week
The Saudi Pro League’s emergence as a financial football superpower has seen several stars lured from Europe to the Middle East.
Karim Benzema became one of the division’s marquee arrivals last summer after swapping Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner signed a three-year contract worth around £1.6m per week, making him the third-highest earner in world football.
2. Neymar (Al-Hilal)-£1.7m per week
Neymar also followed the trend in moving to the Saudi Pro League last summer, as one of world football’s most recognisable stars signed for Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal are top of the Saudi Pro League and unbeaten this season, though have failed to see a return on their investment in the Brazilian forward. Neymar suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on international duty in October that has restricted him to just five appearances this season.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)- £3.4m per week
Cristiano Ronaldo was the trailblazer for Saudi football after joining Al-Nassr from Manchester United in January 2023.
Ronaldo has scored 48 goals in 55 games for Al-Nassr, who sit second in the table. He is the leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season (22), ahead of former Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, and also leads the league for assists (9).
At the time of Ronaldo’s arrival, Al-Nassr’s Instagram account had 853k followers. At the time of writing, that has rocketed up to 24.9m.
