Cristiano Ronaldo rejected a stunning transfer offer that would have seen him become the world’s best paid footballer by earning a remarkable £2million per week.
Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal offered the Portuguese superstar a two-year deal that would have paid him a stunning £209.5million over the course of his contract. A sharp rise on his current contract at Old Trafford and which would have seen him comfortably surpass any other player, but the 37-year-old rejected the opportunity.
Ronaldo was intent on his determination to depart the Red Devils this summer after just one season back at Old Trafford following his high-profile return from Juventus last year after 12 seasons away – but this ambition was not realised as he remained at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo was left "upset" at seeing his pay slashed at United after each member of the squad was hit with a 25 per cent cut to their weekly wage – with the 37-year-old, who is the club’s highest earner, seeing the greatest impact to his pay packet. That was due to the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, which Ronaldo is desperate to continue participating in.
Yet the forward received an approach from Al-Hilal on a two-year deal, with the figures reported by Marca meaning he had the opportunity of significantly increasing his pay packet. However, the destination did not appeal to the player.
Ronaldo previously earned £34million (€40m) per annum with favourable Italian tax laws when he was at Juventus, but this has now been lowered to £25.5million (€30m) at Manchester United – the club’s highest paid player.
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Kylian Mbappe is currently the world’s best paid player. The figures have been outlined by Marca, who highlight that the Frenchman is currently the highest earning footballer after his new deal in the French capital. They claim that Mbappe is now earning £42.5million (€50m) per annum, which is in addition to his bonus of £153million (€180m) for staying at the Parc des Princes, where he now also has 100 percent control of his image rights.
This is not the highest contract ever to be given to a player – that was £64million (€75m) annual salary that Lionel Messi received in his final seasons at Barcelona. He had to accept a huge salary reduction this year to £25.5million (€30m) with PSG, although this will increase to £34million (€40m) for the final year of his deal in Paris. It is claimed that Messi has received more than €1,000m throughout his career – more than any other player.
In terms of sponsorship deals, Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer with Nike with a £15.3million per year (€18m) deal while Messi earns the same with Adidas and Neymar with Puma. Mbappe’s deal with Nike stands at £11.9million (€14m) – an agreement signed in 2019 to last for a decade. He also has secured a series of bonuses for goals that mean he could collect up to £17million (€20m) from Nike annually.
