The World’s Best Paid Footballers

What would you do with €112.3 million? We should give Lionel Messi a call and ask him what he’s done with all that cash as he’s officially the highest paid footballer in the world!

Forbes just released their 2019 edition of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world and it’s the first time that 3 footballers have topped the list in its 29-year history. Here’s everything you need to know about the world’s highest-paid footballers.

Andres Iniesta – €28.7 million

Andres Iniesta plays for Japanese professional football club Vissel Kobe and signed a 3-year contract with the team in 2018 which secures him €26.5 million annually.

Iniesta spent an incredibly successful 22 years with Barcelona – 3 of which he spent as captain – and retired from the national team before joining Vissel Kobe. Besides earning an incredible amount of money, Iniesta also owns a winery, Bodega Iniesta, which began production in 2010 and produced 1.2 million bottles in 2017.

Paul Pogba – €29.2 million

Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 after spending 4 years playing for the Italian professional football club, Juventus. Upon his return to Manchester United, Pogba signed a 5-year contract which secured him €17.7 million annually and he currently sits at number 44 on the Forbes list.

Pogba is also doing his bit to help the less fortunate: In 2018, after France won the football World Cup, Pogba auctioned off his cleats for $30,000 which he donated to disadvantaged schoolgoers. Imagine how much fun you could have with $30,000 playing online blackjack Canada…

Neymar – €92.8 million

From Pogba’s €29.2 million, we take a massive jump to Neymar’s €92.8 million! Neymar signed a 5-year contract with Paris Saint Germain in 2017 after leaving Barcelona. His transfer was the world’s most expensive at the time at €232.5 million and the amount was paid in full before he even signed his name on the dotted line.

As the second most popular athlete on social media – second only to Cristiano Ronaldo – it’s no surprise that Neymar receives €92.8 million annually.

Cristiano Ronaldo – €96.4 million

After spending 9 incredibly successful years with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a 4- year deal with Italian professional football club Juventus in 2018.

Within 24 hours of signing, his Juventus jersey made over 520,000 sales worth over €53 million, which isn’t surprising considering that he’s the all-time leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League. Besides this accolade, Ronaldo is also the world’s most followed athlete on social media.

Lionel Messi – €112.3 million

Here we have it – the world’s highest paid professional footballer. Lionel Messi signed a new 4-year contract in 2017 with Barcelona and while the exact details of the contract weren’t released at the time, according to reports by El Mundo he is receiving €70 million per season.

Messi is an incredibly accomplished footballer and has accumulated 33 club titles in 687 matches since his first match with Barcelona in 2004. What we wouldn’t do with money like that!