Cristiano Ronaldo Topples Lionel Messi As Forbes' Highest-Earning Footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo's big-money move to Manchester United saw him replacing Lionel Messi as the highest-paid footballer in the world, according to the latest rankings released by Forbes.
Cristiano Ronaldo's big-money move to Manchester United saw him replacing Lionel Messi as the highest-paid footballer in the world, according to the latest rankings released by Forbes.
Ronaldo is set to earn $125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonus for his return to United.
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The 36-year-old is set to earn an estimated $55m (?40.31m) from commercial deals, only three other active athletes make more commercially: Roger Federer ($90 million), LeBron James ($65 million) and Tiger Woods ($60 million).
The world's highest-paid soccer players of 2021 revealed: https://t.co/kJLti9A6yb pic.twitter.com/KkDDnqHU1f
¡ª Forbes (@Forbes) September 22, 2021
His longtime and arch-rival, Lionel Messi will earn $110m (?80.63m) this season, with $75m (?50m) of that figure coming from his salary and bonuses at the Parc des Princes, as per Forbes. The former Barcelona star will pad his PSG paycheck with an estimated $35 million in endorsements.
PSG now claims three of the world's five highest-paid players, including the 29-year-old Neymar, who lands at No. 3 once again with $95 million, and the 22-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who is No. 4 with $43 million.
The world's ten highest-paid soccer players are expected to collect pre-tax earnings of $585 million this season, up from last year's $570 million.
¡ª Forbes (@Forbes) September 21, 2021
The top two entrants, though, won't surprise you. https://t.co/mIjWVyzj0c
In total, the 10 highest-paid footballers are set to collect pretax earnings of around $585m (?428m) this season, up from last year's total of around $570m (?471m).
