Overview
- Lionel Messi places second with about $130 million in projected 2025–26 income from Inter Miami compensation and commercial deals.
- Forbes’ top five are Cristiano Ronaldo ($280M), Lionel Messi ($130M), Karim Benzema ($104M), Kylian Mbappé ($95M) and Erling Haaland ($80M).
- Barcelona’s 18-year-old Lamine Yamal debuts in tenth at roughly $43 million, buoyed by sponsorships with Adidas, Powerade, Konami and Beats by Dre.
- Saudi-based stars feature prominently, with Benzema on the podium and Sadio Mané in the top 10, underscoring the league’s financial pull.
- The top 10 combine for about $945 million, down roughly 4% year over year, with some outlets citing euro conversions (e.g., Ronaldo €239M, Messi €111M).