Neymar makes £23m from shirt deal with Puma: The top 5 highest-earners from shirt deals

Football players are superstars and many brands/organisations want to identify with them. With their popularity also comes influence in promoting particular brands or products. This is why kit manufacturers seek the best football players to offer them lucrative deals to wear their shirts and be their brand ambassadors. 

Popular kit manufacturers like Adidas, Nike, Puma, Umbro and New Balance court the football superstars for shirt endorsement deals. Most times, the higher the popularity of the player, the higher the deal that is on offer. As expected, megastars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are amongst the players with the best deals but neither are top of the pile.

Coming in at number 1 is Brazilian forward Neymar who has a £23m a year contract with Puma. Coming in the second position is his soon-to-be teammate Lionel Messi at £18m a year with Adidas. The 3rd-highest shirt deal is that of Cristiano Ronaldo at £15m with Adidas. However, Ronaldo has a lifetime contract with Adidas; only the third athlete to have such a deal after Basketball stars Micheal Jordan and LeBron James. 

The player who earns the 4th-highest money from shirt deals is Kylian Mbappe after he signed a £14m deal with Nike. To round off the Top 5 is a surprising pick of Mario Balotelli who earns £5m a year from his deal with Puma. Players are obligated to exclusively wear the boots of their sponsors and any merchandise of their sponsors as appropriate.