Top Highest Earning Soccer Players by Annual Salary
The highest earning soccer players in 2024 are led by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose reported annual salary with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia exceeds 200 million euros, making him the top paid athlete in the sport according to Forbes. Lionel Messi follows as the second highest earning soccer player, with his contract at Inter Miami and related business income placing his total earnings above 130 million euros for the year per Forbes estimates.
Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, and Neymar Jr. occupy the next tier of the highest earning soccer players list, with Mbappé's move to Real Madrid in 2024 securing a salary package that ranks him among the top five paid players in the sport. These figures combine base wages, signing bonuses, and guaranteed compensation structures, and do not include off-field endorsement income, which can add tens of millions annually for the top names.
How Soccer Player Salaries Compare to Other Leagues
Saudi Pro League clubs now dominate the highest earning soccer players rankings by offering guaranteed base salaries that exceed the combined wages of top players in the English Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. The league's state-backed clubs operate with different financial models, allowing them to offer net-to-club salary figures that are significantly higher than what European clubs can match on a gross basis.
In contrast, the highest earning soccer players in European leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga typically earn between 30 and 60 million euros annually in gross salary, with tax burdens reducing net take-home pay. The gap between the top Saudi Pro League contracts and the next tier of European-based stars has widened in 2024, reshaping the global salary landscape for the sport.
Sources and Methodology for Soccer Earnings Data
The salary and earnings figures cited for the highest earning soccer players are based on publicly reported contracts, club financial disclosures, and athlete earnings estimates from Forbes and Sportico, which publish annual rankings of athlete compensation via Forbes. These sources combine reported wages, guaranteed bonuses, and estimated off-field income to produce a total earnings picture for each player.
For the most current breakdowns of player contracts and salary structures, the official club announcements and league regulatory filings provide the primary data points, while third-party outlets such as Sportico and Forbes compile and verify these figures into consolidated annual rankings as reported by Sportico. The data reflects publicly available information as of the latest reporting cycles in 2024.