Kylian Mbappe has topped a list of the highest-earning footballers in the world.
It is the first time either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has not topped the Forbes list of richest footballers since 2013.
Investment by companies in the Middle East is driving the industry, with five of the top ten highest-earning footballers playing for clubs owned by investors from the region.
Qatar’s PSG and Abu-Dhabi backed Manchester City accounted for five of the highest-earning footballers in the past year.
According to Forbes Kylian Mbappé will earn $128m this year. This is divided between $110m in salary for Qatar-owned Paris Saint Germain and a further $18m in off-field activities.
Mbappe signed a lucrative new three-year contract with PSG in May, which ended speculation about a summer move to Real Madrid.
Despite dwindling reputations and reduced playing time iconic earners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remain in the $100m a year club, with Forbes suggesting they earned $120m and $100m respectively.
Messi earns both on and off the pitch, with Forbes estimating a split between $65m and $55m between on and off-field earnings, while long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo earns most of his $100m income in the past year through $60m of off-field activities.
Sponsorship through partnerships with Nike and Herbalife, among others, make him the highest-earning player off the pitch.
Salah leading next generation of richest footballers
Mohammed Salah of Liverpool and Egypt capped one of the most remarkable season’s in English football history with a lucrative contract with England’s most successful club. Forbes estimates he will earn $53m for the year, divided between an on-field salary of $35m plus $18m in sponsorship activities.
Erling Haaland, who has made an explosive start to life with Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City makes his debut in the Forbes list of highest-earning footballers with estimated earnings of $39m. Off-field sponsorship, Forbes reports, is “just” $4m a year.
However, with a raised profile following a move to the Premier League and a potentially lucrative boot deal this could soon “skyrocket”.
In total, the ten highest-paid footballplayers are expected to collect record pretax earnings of $652m this season.
The figure is an increase of 11% from last year’s $585m. The top three alone account for more than 50% of that figure.
Rounding out the Forbes list of highest-earning football players of 2022 are Neymar of Brazil and PSG; Robert Lweandowski of Poland and Barcelona; Eden Hazard of Belgium and Real Madrid; and Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium and Manchester City. The only player not to feature in the Forbes top 10 is Andres Iniesta of Japanese club and former Spain international.
The last player to top the list other than Ronaldo or Messi was former England captain David Beckham in 2013.
World’s richest footballers
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG and France | $128m |
| Lionel Messi | PSG and Argentina | $120m |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United and Portugal | $100m |
| Neymar | PSG and Brazil | $87m |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool and Egypt | $53m |
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City and Norway | $39m |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona and Poland | $35m |
| Eden Hazard | Real Madrid and Belgium | $31m |
| Andres Iniesta | Vissel Kobe and Spain | $30m |
| Kevin de Bruyne | Manchester City and Belgium | $29m |
Manchester City’s global ‘Trophy Tour’ is making a return to the UAE.
The event will be held at Abu Dhabi’s Mamsha Al Saadiyat where fans will have the opportunity to enjoy multiple activities, including creating a 360-degree video with the premier league trophy and becoming part of their dream 5-a-side team in augmented reality
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