Kylian Mbappe has signed a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain that will make him one of sport’s highest earning stars.
Mbappe has opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, keeping him in the French capital until 2025. It means he will not be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer, as many had expected – with suggestions that he had given his word to the Spanish giants that he would be joining them this year.
It comes less than a year after the French club rejected a world record transfer offer from Los Blancos for the striker, whose contract at the Parc des Princes expires on 30 June. Last week the striker said that the decision on his future will be announced "in a matter of days" and it subsequently brought an end to a long-running saga.
Mbappe was said to have a verbal agreement in place to join Madrid earlier this season and the striker had recently hinted at a move to the Spanish capital while a recent interview suggested that he had been open to leaving France. However, that move did not materialise and he has now penned a lucrative deal in Paris. But how does his agreement compare to football’s other highest earning players?
The figures have now 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.
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It is claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo 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.
It is also highlighted how Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema’s salary is £11.2million (€13.2m) per season – which is not even the highest at the club, behind bit-part players Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale. Indeed, it is claimed that Benzema has never asked for a salary increase since joining Los Blancos in 2009.
In terms of sponsorship, Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer with Nike with £15.3million per year (€18m) 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.
