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Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ 2026 World Cup-period ranking of the highest-paid footballers, with estimated earnings of $300 million over the preceding 12 months. Forbes publishes figures for 11 players in that article—not 13—so the final two places cannot be filled in reliably from the published estimates.
Forbes’ highest-paid football players in 2026
The figures below are Forbes’ estimates for the 12 months preceding the 2026 World Cup, not a ranking of guaranteed salaries or a complete measure of players’ wealth. Amounts are in U.S. dollars and rounded to the nearest million.
| Rank | Player | Club and country | Total earnings | On-field | Off-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr, Portugal | $300 million | $235 million | $65 million |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami, Argentina | $140 million | $70 million | $70 million |
| 3 | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid, France | $95 million | $70 million | $25 million |
| 4 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City, Norway | $80 million | $60 million | $20 million |
| 5 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid, Brazil | $60 million | $40 million | $20 million |
| 6 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool, Egypt | $55 million | $35 million | $20 million |
| 7 | Sadio Mané | Al Nassr, Senegal | $54 million | $50 million | $4 million |
| 8 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid, England | $44 million | $29 million | $15 million |
| 9 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona, Spain | $43 million | $33 million | $10 million |
| 10 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich, England | $41 million | $29 million | $12 million |
| 11 | Neymar | Santos, Brazil | $38 million | $10 million | $28 million |
Ronaldo earns most, while Messi has the closest on-field and off-field split
Ronaldo leads the published ranking by a wide margin. Forbes also calls him the highest-paid athlete overall in this 12-month period. His estimate is weighted toward on-field earnings, while Messi’s $70 million on-field and $70 million off-field estimates are evenly divided. Neymar’s estimated off-field income exceeds his on-field figure, making him the clearest example in this group of a ranking position supported heavily by commercial earnings rather than playing income.
Why Forbes’ soccer-season ranking gives different totals
Forbes also published a separate ranking for the 2025–26 soccer season. It uses a different measurement window: projected season earnings rather than earnings over the 12 months preceding the World Cup. The resulting totals are not directly interchangeable.
#1 Best Overall
| Player | 2025–26 season estimate | World Cup-period estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $280 million | $300 million |
| Lionel Messi | $130 million | $140 million |
In the season ranking, Ronaldo’s estimate is $230 million on-field and $50 million off-field; Messi’s is $60 million on-field and $70 million off-field. Forbes handles Messi’s MLS calendar-year compensation separately, which is part of why the two rankings’ totals differ. For the other eight players in the season top ten, Forbes lists: Karim Benzema, $104 million; Mbappé, $95 million; Haaland, $80 million; Vinícius Júnior, $60 million; Salah, $55 million; Mané, $54 million; Bellingham, $44 million; and Yamal, $43 million. Benzema appears in that season top ten but not in the World Cup-period ranking’s published 11 names.
What the season top ten says about the wider earnings picture
- Forbes estimated the 2025–26 season top ten would earn a combined $945 million.
- At $43 million, Yamal’s estimate marks the cutoff for that season’s top ten.
- Five of the ten players in the season ranking were aged 29 or younger, according to Forbes.
- Saudi Pro League contracts are a major driver at the top end for Ronaldo, Benzema and Mané. Messi’s World Cup-period estimate, by contrast, is evenly split between playing and commercial income.
How to read Forbes’ earnings estimates
Forbes describes its World Cup-period ranking as tracking earnings over the last 12 months. Its on-field category includes base salary, bonuses and some club image-rights agreements. Off-field estimates cover endorsements, licensing, appearances, memorabilia and business cash returns. The figures exclude investment income such as interest and dividends, taxes, agents’ fees and transfer fees; they are converted using May exchange rates and rounded to the nearest million dollars.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the ranking has 11 names, not 13
The World Cup-period article publishes 11 players. Forbes’ separate soccer-season article publishes a top ten, and neither provides two additional named totals to complete a 13-player World Cup-period list. The available published estimates therefore support ranks 1 through 11 only; ranks 12 and 13 are not established.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Author: Manning, Peyton.Manning, Archie.Underwood, John.Peydirt Inc.
- Publisher: HarperEntertainment
- Pages: 384
- Publication Date: 2001-07-31
- Edition: Reprint
Rank #3
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