Andy Warhol once said, “Making money is art.” In today’s modern landscape, footballers are some of the most successful artists in any industry.
the average Premier League The player earns far more in a week (£50,000) than a typical UK employee will take home in a whole year (£35,000). The economic gap becomes a chasm when you consider the incomes of the elite among football’s rich list.
England’s top flight may be the most lucrative on the planet, but clubs on three different continents boast some of the highest paid footballers. Here’s a closer look at ten players who have mastered the art of making money.
*Statistics via Forbes. Converted from dollars using current exchange rates.
Club salary: £26.9 million
Earnings off the field: £3.1 million
Pep Guardiola, not usually a figure guilty of hyperbole, praised De Bruyne as “one of the biggest, biggest, biggest players at this club”. That high status is evident from his healthy salary, but the Belgian could have earned even more had he accepted the offers he received from Saudi Arabia over the summer.
“If I play there for two years, I can make an incredible amount of money.” De Bruyne joined in June. “Before I had to play football for 15 years and I might not reach that amount yet.”
Club salary: £36.9 million
Earnings off the field: £3.1 million
Beyond the eight-figure annual salary, Sadio Mane cited the cultural benefits of moving to Saudi Arabia. “Since I had the opportunity I spoke with my family, and they were the happiest, of course, because it is a Muslim country,” explained the religious extremist. Arabic news.
“My mom especially encouraged me to go. My mom is Muslim like me. She was the first to vote for me to go here and my whole family was excited for me to come here, so it wasn’t difficult; it’s important to my faith.”
Club salary: £26.9 million
Earnings off the field: £13.8 million
Mohamed SalahHis status as Liverpool’s highest-paid player of all time underpins his healthy bank balance, which is further bolstered by a host of lucrative sponsorship deals.
The smiling goalscorer has been the face of the blue brands for years, with a profile that exploded after joining and excelling at Liverpool in 2017. “I’ve learned throughout my career,” Salah said shortly after signing his deal with the Reds in 2023. , “that if you want to be successful, it’s important to invest in yourself not only physically but also mentally.”
Club Salary: £30.8 million
Earnings off the field: £11.5 million
As recently as 2022, the same year he scored the only goal to win Champions League Real Madrid final – Vinicius Junior was one of the club’s lowest paid players.
Only four members of the 2021/22 squad earned less than the Brazilian’s weekly wages of just over £100,000. Even Mariano Diaz – the rarely seen striker – has taken home more than Vinicius.
Real Madrid have rectified this financial inaccuracy, while the forward’s astonishing string of performances has opened up more monetary opportunities off the pitch.
Club salary: £35.4 million
Earnings off the field: £10.8 million
It is remarkable to think this Erling Haaland it only cost Manchester City £51.2m. Eight players, including Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, moved for a bigger fee in the same 2022 transfer window.
City were one of several clubs willing to trigger the release clause in Haaland’s contract with Borussia Dortmund, but offered the most attractive financial package, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League.
Club salary: 53.8 million euros
Earnings off the field: £15.4 million
When Kylian Mbappe became known as Real MadridThe last Galactico of the summer of 2024, produced a replica of the model of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium that had been given to him when he was six years old.
Despite the astronomical numbers involved in a hugely expensive free transfer, there is a layer of sentiment behind Mbappe’s move. After all, the Frenchman had to accept a pay cut when leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
Club salary: £76.9 million
Earnings off the field: £3.1 million
The first murmurs of regret were evident from the claustrophobic video Al Ittihad released after Karim Benzema’s first day at the club in 2023. Collapsing on the back of the team’s coach, the Ball holder d’Or looked incredibly uncomfortable as he chanted her name. his new colleagues.
The Frenchman was heavily linked with a move in January 2024, but he has stayed. Public sparks with his managers and team-mates (who may no longer be so quick to praise him) have been compensated with wages worth more than £1.5m a week.
Club salary: 61.5 million pounds
Earnings off the field: £23.1 million
If anything costing more than £60m a year can be considered good value, Neymar’s move to Al Hilal clearly doesn’t fit the bill.
The Brazilian playmaker had made four starts and scored one goal for the Saudi giants before rupturing his cruciate ligament in October 2023. Still to return to the pitch, every minute Neymar played for Al Hilal in that absent debut season was worth more than £160,000. .
Club salary: £46.1 million
Earnings off the field: £57.7 million
Money has been at the center Lionel Messihis career long before he turned pro. Jorge Messi did not have the small sum required to enter the stadium to watch his son’s youth team and was therefore refused entry. Lionel was transferred to another team the next day.
An endless stream of contract extensions and pay rises littered his path to Barcelona and the Catalan giants finally had to let him go in 2021 as they could not afford to give him a new deal.
Inter Miami moved heaven and earth to bring the diminutive Argentine to South Beach in 2023, teaming up with Major League Soccer broadcasters Apple to fund their mega-deal. The co-owner of the club, Jorge Mas, has given a simple explanation to the contract so plowing: “How many times in life do you get to change a sport?”
Club Salary: £169.1 million
Earnings off the field: 50 million pounds
“For me, money is not the most important thing,” Cristiano Ronaldo he shrugged while still at Real Madrid in 2016. “I’m looking for the money just as a means to be comfortable and independent after I finish football.”
Ronaldo, his children and countless generations to come will be more than comfortable after the Portuguese superstar signed the biggest contract in football history when he joined Al Nassr in 2022.
