Football is the most popular sport in the world—and with good reason. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and has tons of drama.
But did you know that some footballers are even richer than their multimillion-dollar salaries would indicate? From David Beckham to Kylian Mbappe, here’s a look at the 10 richest footballers in the world today:
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is one of the most famous footballers in the world, and one of its greatest players.
Born in Rosario, Argentina on June 24, 1987, Messi began his football career in La Masia at Barcelona’s youth academy.
He began playing professionally for Barcelona when he was 17 years old and has been there ever since—except for a two-year period until his contract expired where he played with their rivals Real Madrid due to disputes over a new contract; he then returned to his home club after signing a new deal worth $56 million per year.
In addition to being Argentina’s national team captain since 2006 and being named best player four times by FIFA/Ballon D’or Awards (2009-2012), Messi has won five Ballon d’Ors over that same time period as well as six Spanish league titles with FC Barcelona.
Lionel Messi’s net worth is estimated to be around £309m ($400m)
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Portugal national team has an estimated net worth of $500 million making him one of the richest athletes in the world.
- Salary: $60 million
- Net worth: $500 million
- House: 5 bedroom, 10,000 square foot house in Madrid, Spain
- Cars: Ferrari and Rolls Royce Phantom
Neymar Jr.
Neymar Jr. is a Brazilian football player who currently plays for the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Neymar’s net worth is said to be around $250 million and he earns $1 million per week as his salary.
He also gets bonuses on top of this amount, with some of the bonuses being used to clear his tax debts in Brazil and France.
Neymar Jr made his debut with Santos in 2009 and spent five years there before moving to FC Barcelona.
In 2014 he joined PSG where he signed a 5-year contract worth €57 million euros per season until the 2021/2022 season.
Kylian Mbappe
- Kylian Mbappe is a French footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
- His net worth is $110 million.
- His salary is $63 million.
Mbappe was born on December 20, 1998, in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis, France and therefore is 22 years old as of 2019.
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann is a French footballer who plays as a forward for Barcelona and the France national team and has an estimated net worth of $60 million.
He is a three-time winner of the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award, a three-time winner of the Coupe de la Ligue Top Scorer award, and has been named in both UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA World XI on two occasions each (2015–16 & 2018–19), and won La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2019.
He began his career at Real Sociedad before moving to Atlético Madrid after initial struggles; he became an instrumental figure for Los Colchoneros as they won various trophies in Spain and Europe under Diego Simeone’s management over 2012–2019 before joining Barcelona where he has further enhanced his reputation as one of world football’s best players.
He scored 23 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions during his debut campaign with Barcelona while also reaching another Champions League final with them in 2022.
David Beckham
David Beckham is an English football icon and a former international player with an estimated net worth of $400 million. He is often referred to as the ‘Golden Boy’ of English football, having represented the national team 115 times between 1995 and 2009.
| Name | David Robert Joseph Beckham |
| Nickname | Golden Balls, Becks |
| Club(s) | PSG, LA Galaxy, Manchester United, Real Madrid |
| Position and number | Midfielder (7/23/32) |
| Cars | Land Rover Defender, Bentley, Audi RS6, Range Rover Sport, Cadillac, 1994 Volkswagen Golf, Porsche |
| Houses | Mansions and luxury homes in Holland Park, London, Cotswolds, England, Miami and Dubai |
Beckham began his career with Manchester United in 1992 where he stayed until 2003 when he moved to Real Madrid. After four years at Real Madrid, David returned to England with LA Galaxy in 2007.
He retired in 2013 after helping them win their fourth MLS Cup title that year.
Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale is a Welsh footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team as a winger. He began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left-back and earning acclaim as a free kick specialist.
Amidst interest from several clubs, he transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. During his time there, he became one of the most sought-after players in the world; notably winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award twice before moving to Real Madrid in 2013 for an initial transfer fee of £85 million, breaking the world record transfer fee at that time.
Bale has won 26 trophies in his career so far: five Premier League titles with Tottenham (2011–12), four Champions League titles with Real Madrid (2013–14, 2015–16), two FA Cups with Tottenham (2008–09) and one FA Cup with Real Madrid (2014–15).
With Wales, he has played more than 100 times since making his debut in 2006 and scored 21 goals including some spectacular free kicks for both country and club.
After spending several years playing top-flight football, Bale’s net worth is estimated at around 131 million euros at the age of 32.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team and has a net worth of $125 million.
He began his career with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 2011 and winning the FA Youth Cup in 2012.
He signed for Juventus four years later for £1.5 million, won four consecutive Serie A titles between 2013 and 2016, two Coppa Italia titles in 2013 and 2015 as well as one Supercoppa Italiana in 2013; he was also named to the FIFPro World XI three times from 2014 to 2016 before transferring back to Manchester United that same year for an initial fee of $120 million (€110 million), then re-signed on August 8th 2018 on an additional $10m per year deal until 2024 which will make him one of the best-paid players ever along with Neymar Jr($75m), Lionel Messi($80m) Cristiano Ronaldo ($78m).
Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez is an Uruguayan-born footballer who currently plays for Barcelona. He previously played for Ajax and Liverpool. His net worth is estimated to be around $180 million.
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is a British professional footballer who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer and the England national team.
He has played much of his career as a forward, but he has also been used as a midfielder and has a net worth of $170 million
After beginning his professional career with Everton in 2002, Rooney moved to Manchester United for £27 million in 2004. His transfer fee was then a world record for a teenager and made him the most expensive teenage footballer ever at that time.
While at Manchester United, he won five Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles (2007–08 and 2008–09) before leaving in 2017 to join Everton again—now on a free transfer—and later rejoining the Toffees when they were promoted back to The Premier League following their relegation during the 2014–15 season; however, Everton would be relegated again just two years later after two seasons spent playing second fiddle to Manchester City under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage
Footballers are super rich
In the world of football, there are many rich footballers. These are people who play the sport called football and have earned a lot of money from playing it. Footballer (noun): A person who plays a game called “football” in which you kick around an inflated ball with your feet and sometimes your head. Examples: Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar Jr., Maradona etc.
Football is a very popular game played all over the world by millions of people—even kids! But not everyone can play this game at such high levels as professional athletes do; only those few individuals who possess exceptional talent will ever be able to make it onto their country’s national team or even get drafted into one of Europe’s top leagues like Spain’s La Liga or Italy’s Serie A (which both require players to complete at least six years of schooling before they’re eligible).
Those who can’t meet these requirements may still take up residence outside their home countries in order to pursue their dreams: Maxi Pereira grew up playing for Uruguay but now plays for Portugal; Hugo Lloris grew up playing for France but now plays for England; Nico Vergrab appeared on Germany’s youth teams before moving away as well (to join Argentina).
