Cristiano Ronaldo continues to dominate football’s financial rankings after being named the highest-paid player in the world for 2025 by Forbes, Afrosport reports.
The 40-year-old forward tops the list ahead of Lionel Messi, while teenage star Lamine Yamal makes history with a first-ever appearance.
The Forbes list, which tracks player earnings from salaries, bonuses and club image rights for the 2025–26 season, highlights the sport’s biggest earners both on and off the pitch.
Ronaldo is projected to earn $280 million before taxes and agents’ fees following a new two-year deal with Al-Nassr. Around $230m comes directly from his salary, while $50m stems from commercial deals and sponsorships.
It marks the sixth time in ten years that the Portuguese captain has led the ranking.
Messi, 38, sits second with a total of $130m, more than half of which comes from global brands such as Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard. The Inter Miami star remains Major League Soccer’s only representative.
Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema ranks third with $104m, followed by Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Vinicius Junior.
Mohamed Salah also features among the top earners, having agreed a new two-year deal with Liverpool earlier this year.
At just 18, Yamal becomes the youngest footballer ever to feature on Forbes’ annual list since its inception 22 years ago. The Barcelona forward, who signed a decade-long contract earlier this year, is expected to earn $43m this season.
In total, the top ten footballers are set to collect $945 million in 2025 — slightly down from last year’s $983m.
Full list showing Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid players for 2025
- Cristiano Ronaldo – $280m (On-field: $230m, off-field: $50m)
- Lionel Messi – $130m (On-field: $60m, off-field: $70m)
- Karim Benzema – $104m (On-field: $100m, off-field: $4m)
- Kylian Mbappe – $95m (On-field: $70m, off-field: $25m)
- Erling Haaland – $80m (On-field: $60m, off-field: $20m)
- Vinicius Junior – $60m (On-field: $40m, off-field: $20m)
- Mohamed Salah – $55m (On-field: $35m, off-field: $20m)
- Sadio Mane – $54m (On-field: $50m, off-field: $4m)
- Jude Bellingham – $44m (On-field: $29m, off-field: $15m)
- Lamine Yamal – $43m (On-field: $33m, off-field: $10m)
