The richest football players of the 2026/2027 season announced — Ronaldo is the absolute leader
Forbes, the world's influential financial publication, has announced the ranking of the highest-earning football players for the 2026/2027 season. Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr forward, 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, has once again secured the status of the highest-paid athlete on our planet.
The Portuguese star's total seasonal income is expected to reach a staggering $300 million, which is exactly twice as much as the figure of his permanent rival, Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo's financial empire: Where is the money coming from?
In calculating the athletes' earnings, Forbes analysts took into account not only the official contract signed with the club, but also commercial agreements outside the pitch:
Record payment from Al-Nassr: Ronaldo's annual salary and additional bonuses at the Saudi club total $250 million;
Advertising and personal business: Sponsorship deals outside of football, personal brands, and investments bring the Portuguese goalscorer another $50 million in net profit;
Exclusion from the national team: For the record, 41-year-old Ronaldo was recently temporarily suspended from Portugal national team matches due to leaving the national team camp without official permission, but this situation did not negatively affect his commercial value at all.
Forbes ranking: Top 10 highest-paid football players
The top ten stars with the highest income in world football look as follows:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) — $300 million;
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) — $145 million;
Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) — $100 million;
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — $85 million;
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) — $76 million;
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) — $55 million;
Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr) — $54 million;
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) — $45 million;
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) — $42 million;
Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor) — $40 million.
As can be seen from the list, the Saudi Arabian league and the USA's MLS championship once again prove that they are by no means inferior to European giant clubs in paying huge salaries to their stars.
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