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Football is the most popular sport in the world and as a result, there's a lot of money involved in the sport. According to Forbes, twelve of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world at the moment are footballers including the top three and it doesn't take a genius to guess the players in the top three.
La Liga has the highest representation in the Top 20 with seven players of which four are from Barcelona and three are from Real Madrid. The Premier League and Ligue 1 have four representatives each but in the former's case, the players are from four different teams while the latter is represented by just one club.
The Serie A and the Chinese Super League have two players each in the Top 20 and the last remaining player is from Japan. Which means, there are no players from the Bundesliga on this list!
So, here is the list of the Top 20 highest-paid footballers in the world at the moment.
#20 Gerard Piqué
Endorsements: $4M
Salary & Bonus: $17.7M
Total: $21.7M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
Gerard Pique has been a crucial member of the Barcelona team since 2008 and has made 500 appearances for the club. He has won 33 trophies in his professional career of which he won 28 trophies with the Catalan club
The Spaniard has been with the club for so long and has signed three contract extensions with them so far. Hence, the $17.7 million he earns in salary alone is hardly surprising.
#19 Graziano Pelle
Endorsements: $1M
Salary & Bonus: $20.7M
Total: $21.7M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
Graziano Pelle is arguably the least famous player in this list and his achievements pale in comparison with the other players. However, the former Southampton man earns $20.7 million after joining Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng in 2016.
For a man who earns so much, Pelle hasn't done enough in China. He only scored 11 goals in his first 40 appearances for the club but he improved in the next two seasons and has taken his tally to 50 goals in 102 appearances.
#18 Sergio Ramos
Endorsements: $2M
Salary & Bonus: $19.9M
Total: $21.9M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
For many years, Sergio Ramos has been one of the best defenders in the world and the 2019/20 season will be his 15th season for the club. The fact that he has been at a club of Real Madrid's stature for so long shows how good he is.
For Real Madrid alone, he has played 608 games, scored 84 goals and won 20 trophies. He has signed numerous contract extensions at Real Madrid which is why he now earns $19.9 million in salary alone.
#17 James Rodríguez
Endorsements: $4.5M
Salary & Bonus: $16.3M
Total: $22.1M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Hublot, Marc Jacobs
Real Madrid can pay hefty wages which is why they have multiple players in this list including James Rodriguez who's not even a key member of the squad at the moment.
The Colombian joined the club in 2014 after winning the Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup. He started well at Real Madrid but lost his place in the side under Zinedine Zidane. However, he's back at Real but it remains to be seen if he will feature regularly.
#16 Thiago Silva
Endorsements: $1M
Salary & Bonus: $21.5M
Total: $22.5M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
Paris Saint-Germain have built an outstanding team in recent years and the key to building that team was attracting players by offering them astronomical wages.
The Parisian club's captain, Thiago Silva, who has been with the club since 2012 earns $21.5 million as salary. He has played 284 games for the club and has helped them win 20 trophies so far.
#15 Sergio Agüero
Endorsements: $5.5M
Salary & Bonus: $17.1M
Total: $22.6M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Puma, Pepsi
Sergio Aguero is currently the second longest-serving player in the Manchester City squad behind David Silva. He joined the Cityzens in 2011 from Atletico Madrid and has become the club's all-time leading goal scorer with 235 goals from just 341 games.
The Argentine earns a lot of money from endorsements in addition to earning $17.1 million annually from Man City. The salary he receives is justified as he has helped them win 12 trophies including four league titles.
#14 Luis Suárez
Endorsements: $3.5M
Salary & Bonus: $20.1M
Total: $23.6M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Puma
Since joining Barcelona in 2014, Luis Suarez has been Barcelona's second-best player behind Lionel Messi. He has gone on to score 177 goals for the club in only 248 appearances and he even won the European Golden Shoe in 2014 and 2016 (the former was with Liverpool).
The Uruguayan has won 13 trophies with the club and will be hoping to add a few more this season as it could be his last season with them because his best days are clearly behind him.
#13 Ángel Di María
Endorsements: $2M
Salary & Bonus: $21.7M
Total: $23.7M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Adidas
Angel Di Maria is the second of four PSG players in this list. The Argentine played for some of Europe's biggest clubs before joining the Parisian side in 2015.
Interestingly, the 31-year-old earns more than his teammate Edinson Cavani who has been at the club longer than him. If you take into account only the salary, he earns more than nine players on this list.
#12 Mohamed Salah
Endorsements: $9M
Salary & Bonus: $16.1M
Total: $25.1M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Vodafone, EA Sports, AlexBank, DHL
Mohamed Salah has become one of the best players in the world at Liverpool and his incredible rise in the last two years reflects on his ranking in this list.
The Egyptian earns $16.1 million as salary and bonuses at Liverpool and that's the lowest figure on this list. However, because of his incredible popularity in Egypt and several other Arab speaking countries, he earns $9 million from endorsements and only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar earn more from endorsements than him.
#11 Gareth Bale
Endorsements: $6.5M
Salary & Bonus: $20.6M
Total: $27.1M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Wish
Gareth Bale left the Premier League in 2013 for a then world-record fee after establishing himself as one of the best players in the world. He has gone on to have an amazing career at Real Madrid despite his injury woes.
In fact, he has scored the winning goal in two of Real Madrid's four Champions League triumphs since he joined the club and scored in the shootout in a third final.
Unsurprisingly, the Welshman earns $20.6 million as salary and bonuses at Real Madrid. It could also be one of the reasons why the Los Blancos have struggled to offload him this summer. He is also popular in Great Britain and that explains the $6.5 million he earns from endorsements.
#10 Antoine Griezmann
Endorsements: $4.5M
Salary & Bonus: $23.2M
Total: $27.7M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Puma, Huawei
During the summer of 2018, Barcelona attempted to sign Antoine Griezmann but Atletico Madrid were desperate to keep their superstar and they made him one of the highest-paid players in the world. However, they lost him this summer to Barcelona and now, at the Catalan club, the world cup winner earns even more.
The 28-year-old's salary is more than Luis Suarez's and Barcelona will be hoping that he can perform as well as the Uruguayan. The early signs are good as Griezmann already has two goals and an assist in his first two appearances for the club.
#9 Oscar
Endorsements: $2M
Salary & Bonus: $27M
Total: $29M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Adidas
Oscar is one of the few stars who moved to China in the prime of their career and one look at his salary tells you why he was convinced about the move.
The former Chelsea man's salary of $27 million is beaten only by six players in this list even though his overall earnings rank him ninth.
Since his move to China, he has played 113 games, scored 36 goals and won two trophies including the Chinese Super League in 2018.
#8 Mesut Özil
Endorsements: $6.5M
Salary & Bonus: $23.7M
Total: $30.2M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Beats by Dre, Mercedes Benz
At the moment, Mesut Ozil is the second-highest earner in the Premier League both in terms of salary and overall earnings. However, his performance doesn't justify his earnings.
The German was regarded as one of the best playmakers in the world a few years and he had a couple of good seasons in the Premier League. However, his lack of impact in big games came to fore quickly. Under Unai Emery, he hasn't featured regularly and the club will struggle to move him on because of his wages.
#7 Kylian Mbappé
Endorsements: $4M
Salary & Bonus: $26.6M
Total: $30.6M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Good Gout, Hublot
Kylian Mbappe is the youngest player in this list but when has age been a factor of the Paris Saint-Germain forward?
Mbappe's rise to fame has been quick and deserved. He has already scored 89 goals in only 150 appearances for both Monaco and PSG combined and he also has 13 international goals in only 33 appearances. Then there is also the matter of the numerous records he has broken. All of this at the age of 20.
Mbappe currently earns only $4 million from endorsements but that, as well as his salary, will go up significantly in the coming years. In fact, he has the potential to be the highest-earning player in the world.
#6 Alexis Sánchez
Endorsements: $2.5M
Salary & Bonus: $28.3M
Total: $30.8M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
Alexis Sanchez was the highest-paid player in the Premier League before his loan move to Inter recently. The Chilean played for European giants like Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United before his return to the Serie A.
Sanchez was a huge hit at Arsenal but he turned out to be a huge flop at Manchester United after the two clubs agreed to a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Chilean scored just five goals in 45 appearances for United before left.
Even though the 30-year-old is on loan at Inter, his parent club will pay most of his hefty wages.
#5 Andrés Iniesta
Endorsements: $2.5M
Salary & Bonus: $30M
Total: $32.5M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Asics
Andres Iniesta left Barcelona at the end of the 2017/18 season after 22-years with the club. During his period, he played 674 games for the first team, scored 57 goals and won 32 trophies! In addition, he also won three trophies with Spain including the FIFA World Cup in which he scored the only goal in the final.
The veteran Spaniard could have played in Europe for a couple more years but his decision to move to Japan is justified as he would have wanted a huge paycheck before he hangs up his boots. At Vissel Kobe, he's earning $30 million making him the highest-paid player outside Europe.
#4 Paul Pogba
Endorsements: $4M
Salary & Bonus: $29M
Total: $33M
Largest Sponsor/Partner: Adidas
Now that Alexis Sanchez has gone to Inter Milan, Paul Pogba is not only the highest-paid (salary wise) player at the club but also in the league. He earns $29 million as salary alone and this is despite the fact that he hasn't signed a contract extension at the club since joining them in 2016.
The World Cup winning midfielder is very popular because of his off the field persona and yet, he only earns $4 million from sponsorship. It is much more than what most players earn but in comparison with a few others, this looks like a paltry number.
#3 Neymar Jr.
Endorsements: $30M
Salary & Bonus: $75M
Total: $105M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Mastercard, Gillette, EA Sports, Red Bull, Beats by Dre, DAZN, Gaga Milano
The top three highest-paid footballers in the world are also the top three highest-paid athletes in the world and it's not surprising given their calibre and their incredible popularity.
Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee in 2017 and the Ligue 1 side had to pay a lot of money to convince him to leave Barcelona. However, the Brazilian now regrets his decision to leave the club and is trying to force a move back to the Catalan club.
Interestingly, Neymar's salary is more than Cristiano Ronaldo's.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Endorsements: $44M
Salary & Bonus: $65M
Total: $109M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Electronic Arts, DAZN, Altice, MTG, CR7 line of products
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to Juventus last summer after nine years with Real Madrid during which he won several trophies and scored a plethora of goals.
The 34-year-old earns $65 million as salary at Juventus which is lesser than what Lionel Messi and Neymar earn. However, the Portuguese superstar's incredible fame earns him $44 million from endorsements and that's more than what any other player earns.
#1 Lionel Messi
Endorsements: $35M
Salary & Bonus: $92M
Total: $127M
Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Peps, Lays, Gatorade, Jacobs & Co, Mastercard, Ooredoo
Lionel Messi has been a Barcelona player since 2001 and he has scored 603 goals for the club in only 687 games and has won 34 trophies so far.
The Argentine has been with the club for so long and has rightfully earned eight contract extensions and ninth one is not too far. Even at the age of 32, he continues to surprise and mesmerize us with his performances.
Messi earns $92 million as salary at Barcelona and that's $17 million more than the player who has the next highest salary in football at the moment.
