CRISTIANO RONALDO eclipses Lionel Messi in the highest-earning footballer rankings – and by quite some margin.
The superstar is one of the biggest names in the game and he has the bank balance to match, thanks to his move to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi clubs have splashed the cash in recent months and enticed some big names to the Gulf.
In fact, four of the top ten highest-paid footy stars now play in Saudi Arabia, with two in the top three.
And despite the riches of the Premier League, only three current Prem stars make the top ten list, with none in the top five.
SunSport takes a look at the highest-earners in football, which includes the England captain and two World Cup winners.
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10. Harry Kane – £28.3m
Kane, 30, earned a bumper pay rise following his summer move to Bayern Munich.
The England skipper picks up around £415,000-a-week, which allowed him to move into a £30million mansion in the suburbs of Munich.
9. Kevin De Bruyne – £30.7m
The Manchester City talisman negotiated his own contract before penning a four-year deal worth £450,000-a-week in 2021.
The 32-year-old has won it all with City and will spend ten years at the club if he sees out the remainder of his contract.
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8. Sadio Mane – £40.9m
The former Liverpool star is one of several European-based players who made the cash-grab switch to Saudi Arabia last summer.
Mane, 31, left Bayern Munich after just a year in Germany, joining Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in a deal worth £650,000-a-week.
7. Mo Salah – £41.7m
Like his former team-mate, Reds icon Salah also rakes in the cash, thanks in part to his £350,000-a-week Anfield contract.
The 31-year-old also has a bumper endorsement deal with Adidas to bolster his bank balance.
6. Erling Haaland – £45.7m
Haaland, 23, also has a lucrative sponsorship deal, with Nike, while he also appeared on the front cover of the EA Sports FC 2024 video game this year.
He is one of the best players in the world and his City contract reflects his worth, with the Norwegian earning £400,000 a week – a figure likely to rise amid talk of a new deal.
5. Karim Benzema – 83.5m
Al-Ittihad managed to lure Benzema from Real Madrid thanks to a salary of £83.5m a year.
The striker, 36, had been linked with a loan move to Manchester United this month but the deal was not feasible due to his wages.
4. Kylian Mbappe – £86.7m
The France superstar, 25, penned a mammoth contract when he stunned the football world and extended his Paris Saint-Germain stay in 2022.
Much has been made of his future in recent weeks and Real Madrid would likely be willing to offer him an even bigger salary to lure him to the Bernabeu this summer.
3. Neymar – £88.2m
Neymar did leave PSG but in search of big bucks rather than silverware.
The 31-year-old is paid an astonishing £1.7m-a-week by Al-Hilal, with the Brazilian also requesting he was gifted eight cars by the owners and he asked for all the costs of his stays at hotels, restaurants, and cities that he may visit on days off to be covered by the club.
2. Lionel Messi – £106.4m
Messi, 36, also signed an interesting deal when he joined Inter Miami last year, with the superstar given shares in the club.
He will also earn around £35-£47million in basic salary, putting his earnings above the £100m mark.
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1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £204.9m
Ronaldo, 38, takes top spot thanks to Al-Nassr paying him around £164million a year.
The former Real Madrid star also earns an additional £49million for his off-field ventures.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
