With the 2021 summer transfer window in full swing, the primary focus in the footballing world at the moment is on the dire state of finances in the beautiful game. The majority of European clubs are still reeling from the grips of the pandemic due to the revenue shortfall over the past 18 months with major clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid swimming in debt.
Nevertheless, the top clubs continue to break the bank to keep the biggest stars in the world happy, so today we are going to take a look at the top 10 highest paid footballers in the world at the moment.
10. DAVID DE GEA – £19.5 Million
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At number 10 is Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea who is the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world as well as one of the top earners in the Premier League alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Paul Pogba. De Gea’s £375,000 a week contract with Manchester United makes up the bulk of his earnings, but there are plenty of question marks over the Spaniard’s future with Dean Henderson likely to replace De Gea as Manchester United’s number one next season.
9. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI – £20.5 Million
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The FIFA Men’s player of the year in 2020 has continued to age like fine wine and is one of the favourites to win this year’s Ballon D’Or alongside Lionel Messi. Lewandowski scored 48 goals for Bayern Munich last season and has signed a contract worth £17.5 million a season with the Bavarian Giants.
8. GARETH BALE – £21 Million
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At number 8 is Welsh wizard Gareth Bale who is estimated to earn £21 million a season from his playing contract and multiple endorsements with the likes of Adidas and TaylorMade. Bale spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur but is set to return to Real Madrid to see out the final year of his £16 million annual contract with Los Blancos.
7. ANTOINE GRIEZMANN – £24 Million
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Despite joining Barcelona in 2019 for over £100 million, Antoine Griezmann has been heavily linked with a move away from the Catalan club this summer. Barcelona are in dire need of trimming their wage bill this summer and might need to sell the Frenchman who is currently earning £20 million per season at the club.
6. PAUL POGBA – £25 Million
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Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba is one of the biggest names in world football and was one of the players of the tournament in the recently concluded European Championships. Pogba is entering the last year of his Manchester United contract worth £20 million annually, and some rumours suggest that the Frenchman could be headed to PSG this summer.
5. MOHAMMED SALAH – £27 Million
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Mohammed Salah has played an integral part in Liverpool’s success over recent years and has scored over 100 goals in his four seasons on Merseyside. The Egyptian has a contract worth a reported £17.5 million a season with Liverpool and also earns an estimated £9.5 million from his off-field endorsements.
4. KYLIAN MBAPPE – £31 Million
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Kylian Mbappe is the undisputed heir to the soon to be vacated throne in football and has continued to scale new heights since becoming the second most expensive player of all time in 2018. Mbappe is the hottest property in world football at the moment and is set to feature on the cover of EA Sports FIFA video game for the 2nd year in a row.
3. NEYMAR – £70 Million
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Neymar signed a new contract with PSG this year which keeps him in the French capital till the summer of 2025 and the most expensive player in the history of football is currently the third-highest earner in the sport behind Messi and Ronaldo. The Brazilian superstar earns over £12 million a year from his endorsements and signed a deal with Puma in 2020 after ending his relationship with Nike.
2. CRISTIANO RONALDO – £85 Million
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Cristiano Ronaldo is still at the top of his game at age 36 and is the second-highest-paid footballer in the world behind Lionel Messi. The world’s most-followed person on Instagram earns a reported £50 million per season from Juventus on top of his various other off-field endorsements from the likes of Nike, his own CR7 brand and Herbalife.
1. LIONEL MESSI – £90 Million
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Despite taking a 50% pay cut to sign his new 5-year contract with Barcelona, Lionel Messi is still the highest-paid athlete in world football. Although the contract is yet to be signed, the Argentinian is expected to end all speculation and commit his long-term future to his boyhood club. Aside from his on-field earnings, Messi has plenty of lucrative deals with a wide range of sponsors such as Adidas and Pepsi.
[Image Credit: Leo Messi]
Shivaan Shah