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Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers In The World 2023

Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers In The World 2023

Unsurprisingly, some of the highest paid footballers in the world in 2023 are also among the best players on the planet.

Footballers at the highest level are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. They earn fortunes in weekly wages, and that is just one source of income as footballers also make a lot of money through sponsorship and endorsement deals.

Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest names in the world of soccer are the highest earners in the game.

Furthermore, the most popular and successful clubs in the world have a wealth of resources — much of which are used to pay the wages of their best players.

Every time a top player joins a new club or signs a new deal, they land bumper deals worth millions annually.

In this post, FootballOrbit presents you with the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world in 2023.

This is the total income that players earn annually from both wages and commercial deals.

10. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City –$29m/£26.5m)

Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders of the current generation, and arguably Manchester City’s best player.

The extremely talented midfielder earns around $29m annually.

9. Andres Iniesta (Vissel Kobe – $30m/£27m)

Top 10 Highest Paid Footballers in the world 2023

After a successful career at Barcelona, Andres Iniesta joined Japanese club, Vissel Kobe.

In 2022, Iniesta launched his own football boot brand, known as Capitten.

The Spaniard earns $30m annually from both salary and commercial deals.

8. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid – $31m/£28m)

Eden Hazard joined Real Madrid in 2019 at the peak of his career. Thus, the club offered him lucrative wages.

The transfer hasn’t gone to plan though, as the Belgian terribly flopped in Spain.

Nevertheless, Hazard still continues to pocket immensely — earning $31m per year.

7. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona – $35m/£31m)

Robert Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world. He joined Barcelona last summer and earns around $35m annually.

6. Erling Haaland (Man City – $39m/£35m)

Top 10 highest paid footballers in the world

Erling Haaland moved to Manchester City last summer and has been firing on all cylinders, breaking one record after the other.

Although City signed him on a cheap transfer, they pay the Norwegian lucratively.

Haaland earns a combined $39m annually.

5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool – $53m/£47m)

Last summer, Mohamed Salah’s future was the subject of much speculation up until he signed a new 3-year contract with Liverpool.

Liverpool had to break their wage structure to keep hold of the Egyptian — who is already a club legend.

The new deal sees him take home £400,000 per week.

Salah was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season.

He was in sensational form last term, scoring 31 goals and providing 16 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool.

Furthermore, his contributions were crucial to Liverpool winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.

Salah also played a crucial role in Liverpool’s run to the final of the UEFA Champions League, which they eventually lost to Real Madrid.

The Egyptian earns $35m (£31m) salary per year. Off the pitch, he earns $18m (£16m) for his sponsorship deals.

This totals $53m (£47m) annually.

4. Neymar (PSG – $87m/£78m)

PSG made Neymar the most expensive player in the world when they shelled out €222m to sign him from Barcelona in 2017.

Obviously, Neymar got a fortune in wages upon joining PSG; but he even got a pay raise when he signed a new contract in May 2021 — which ties him to the club until 2025.

The Brazilian makes $55m (£50m) annually from wages, while earning $32m (£28m) from commercial deals.

Neymar receives £606,000 per week.

3. Lionel Messi (PSG – $120m/£108m)

Lionel Messi — top 10 highest paid footballers in the world 2023

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest player in football history.

He joined PSG on a free transfer from Barcelona in 2021. The Parisian club pay him £960,000 per week.

Annually, the Argentine collects $65m (£58.5m) in wages, but makes $55m/£49.5m) from off the pitch endorsements.

2. Kylian Mbappe (PSG — $128m/£115m)

After almost joining Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer, Kylian Mbappe eventually signed a lucrative contract to keep him at PSG until 2025.

The Frenchman reportedly earns £1 million per week, become the highest paid player in the world for a while. He recently got eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo after the latter’s move to Al-Nassr

Kylian Mbappe’s income from commercial deals takes his annual income to $128m.

Moreso, the 24-year-old has one of the biggest football boot deals in the world.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr — $214m/£173m)

Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer in the world in 2023

In one of the anticipated transfers of the January 2023 transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr.

The 37-year-old signed a deal until 2025 and will receive the biggest salary in football history — worth about $214 million per year.

Actually, Ronaldo’s annual salary is $75m (£62m) — with the rest of his income made from image rights and commercial deals.

Cristiano Ronaldo will earn around £3.6 million weekly at Al-Nassr.

COMMENTS

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    This article provides an interesting insight into the highest paid footballers in the world in 2023. It’s not surprising that some of the best players are also earning top salaries. The breakdown of their income from wages and commercial deals is fascinating, and it’s impressive to see the amounts they earn annually. It shows just how lucrative the football industry can be for these players. I’m always curious to see how the rankings change over time, so it would be interesting to revisit this list in the future.

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