Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar: Who is the currently highest paid footballer?

Lionel Messi was the highest-paid footballer in the world in the 2020-2021 season. The Argentine, who left Barcelona and joined PSG, earned a total of U$S130 million in his last year at the Catalan club. This figure makes him the highest paid footballer in the world, with a salary of no less than U$S97 million thanks to his performance on the pitch, plus another U$S 33 million from sponsorship and advertising contracts.

Although it has not yet been confirmed how much the contract between PSG and Messi amounts to, it is estimated that the Argentine national team player will earn a salary of around u$s75 million per year in the season starting this August, not counting possible bonuses and payments for player rights, such as the sale of jerseys. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, ranks second on the scale of the highest paid players, with a total income of u$s120 million, of which u$s50 million comes from sponsorships. The Portuguese has arrived in Manchester and is preparing for his debut in the next match of the Red Devils.

In third place is Neymar, who receives approximately u$s95 million, of which u$s76 million is for working his magic on the pitch, which is the second highest salary in the world if advertising revenue is excluded. But they are not the only ones earning millions of dollars, although the figure drops from fourth place, where Kylian Mbappé is located, who had an income of u$s40 million in the last season.