Cristiano Ronaldo has seen his place at the top of football's rich list surpassed by PSG star Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman's new contract in Paris elevating him to the top of the list ahead of the Manchester United striker and his long-term adversary Lionel Messi.
In the new list, released by Forbes for the 2022/23 season, Mbappe's $128m (£115m) earnings take him to the top of the list, with the star having signed a new deal with the French champions in the summer to elevate him to the summit of football's highest earners. His teammate at PSG, Lionel Messi has taken the second spot in the list ahead of Ronaldo, with his earnings in the French capital totalling $110m (£99m).
Ronaldo's contract at Manchester United makes him the highest earner at the club, but sees him placed below the two leaders. His on-field earnings of $40m (£36m) are a long way below Mbappe and Messi, but his off-field earnings of $60m (£54m) are the highest in the list and keep him ahead of Neymar in fourth position.
ALSO READ: Ex-City star slams United players for their treatment of Ronaldo
Ronaldo was named the highest-paid footballer in the world earlier this year but, despite his fall, retains the highest number of Instagram followers of any person in the world, which allows him to earn a multitude of endorsements which means his off-field earnings will continue long after his playing career has drawn to a close. He still has multi-million contracts with brands such as Nike, Herbalife and Livescore.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has entered the list in sixth position, with his astronomical contract at City of $35m (£31.5m) greatly surpassing his endorsement deals totalling $4m (£3.6m) to give a total of $39m. His Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne also takes a place on the list in tenth with a total of $29m.
In a surprise addition, Andrés Iniesta takes a place ahead of De Bruyne with his $25 million contract with Japanese side Vissel Kobe keeping him in football's earning elite. Also on the list are Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski and Eden Hazard.
TOP 10 HIGHEST-PAID FOOTBALL PLAYERS FOR 2022/23 SEASON
- 1. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - $128m
- 2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - $110m
- 3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - $100m
- 4. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) - $87m
- 5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - $53m
- 6. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - $39m
- 7. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) $35m
- 8. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) $31m
- 9. Andres Iniesta (Vissel Kobe) $25m
- 10. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) $29m
READ NEXT:
