Top 10 global football salary: Kulibalicant is on the list, Benzema is second, Messi is absent

Football is moving towards globalization, and players' salaries are also rising. New salary records are created almost every year: Once upon a time, sky-high contracts were only visible in China, but now Saudi Arabia, the Major League of America (MLS) and even Qatar have joined the ranks of spending money.

In modern football, money has become one of the main factors in choosing a club. Some stars switch to new leagues and are not even very interested in the game itself. The key is that they can get huge rewards. Many wealthy businessmen are trying to quickly enter the football world, so they choose a strategy of fast and large investment. It sounds good, but it doesn't always work in reality.

Salary pattern: The gold dollar storm swept the world

According to Capology data, Riyadh victorious forward Cristiano Ronaldo ranked first in the world with an annual salary of US$228 million per year. This means the Portuguese star earns about $4.3 million per week. The highest salary in Europe belongs to Barcelona striker Lewandowski ($38 million), but Manchester City's Haaland ($36.6 million) follows. Interestingly, both of them couldn't even make the top five in the Saudi league.

Let's take a look at the ranking of the 10 highest-paid football players in the world. Note: This ranking is not included in bonuses and advertising contract revenue, so Messi will not appear on the list.

tied for tenth place: Four players shared this seat - US$20 million

The top three players (referring to Mitrovic, Milinkovic Savic, Kante) successfully seized the craze caused by Saudi Arabia and signed a generous contract in 2023. Now, after experiencing crazy money splash, the Saudis are trying to show some restraint, but two years ago, you could get almost any contract you want. Mitrovic, Milinkovic Savage and Kanter did not hesitate to switch to the league with low competitive levels, but successfully "looked into" the top ten salary. not bad.

, and Harry Kane chose another path and signed with Bayern Munich in the same year (2023). He did this not mainly for money, but for the chance to win trophy, and, he finally succeeded this season!

9. Ivan Tony (Jeddah National) - $29 million

Ivan performed well in the 2022/23 season, scoring 21 goals for Brentford 35 appearances, but was banned for eight months for violating gambling regulations. The English club quietly waited for the ban to end, and then Tony scored four goals in his first five games to repay the team. But then...no more achievements were made.

There are rumors that the English player's decline in form was due to the interest of Saudi clubs. In the end, Ivan got his wish and Brentford received a transfer fee of £42 million, which seemed like a win-win situation.

8. Mbappe (Real Madrid) - US$35.6 million

Last year, Mbappe was one of the leaders of this list, but in order to pursue his dream, he joined Real Madrid and his salary shrank by more than half.

At Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe earned more than $82 million, but that still did not convince him to sign a new contract. The Frenchman could have further increased his salary with a new contract, but he followed his heart... and his desire for the Champions League trophy, but things have not fully developed this season.

Overall, Mbappe's start at Real Madrid was not very smooth, but has contributed 42 goals and 4 assists in 55 games. His current contract is signed until 2029, but with this performance, Real Madrid may be eager to discuss renewal in advance. What are your predictions?

7. Haaland (Manchester City) - $36.6 million

Just 15 years ago, becoming the highest-paid player in the Premier League also means you are the richest football player in the world. England clubs have almost led the football salary trend, and even mid-range teams may have a budget that outperforms the top giants in other leagues.

Under the new contract signed on January 17, Haaland received a £10 million raise, surpassing teammates De Bruyne and Liverpool's rival Salah.

6. Lewandowski (Barcelona) – US$38 million

Barcelona's financial difficulties have long become a meme in football, but even so, the club still has a representative among the top ten players in the world.

Lewandowski was the world's best center when he joined Barcelona and was also the unofficial winner of the 2020 Golden Globe Awards (Note: The Golden Globe Awards were cancelled due to the epidemic that year). The outside world hopes that the Pole's transfer to Barcelona will help him win the coveted Golden Ball award, but his running-in with the new team has a difficult start, Barcelona's performance is unstable, and Lewandon himself needs time to adapt.

This season, the Polish scorer returned to form and scored 42 goals in 52 games. But even with such data, he currently only ranked 7th in the Golden Globes contender list. He only ranks fourth among the players in Barcelona.

5. Coolibali (Riyadh Crescent) – $39.5 million

In July 2022, when Chelsea signed Coolibali from Naples for $47.6 million, it seemed that the London club had locked in a top central defender for years to come.

However, the Senegalese star's transfer was not as successful as expected. The difficult adaptation period, the chaos within the club, the frequent changes in the coaches and the continuous changes in the formation have prevented him from reaching his peak state.

In London, the Senegalist played only 32 of the 50 possible matches and quickly seized the opportunity to transfer to the Riyadh Crescent. In Saudi Arabia, he immediately became the leader and has won four team trophies, which is more than he has won throughout his previous career.

4. Mane (Victory in Riyadh) - US$45.6 million

In 2022, Mane is at his peak: Captain of Senegal's national team, winner of the African Cup of Nations, and Liverpool star who is standing side by side with Salah. He even ranked second in the Golden Globes, second only to Benzema. At that time, he and Salah seemed to be superstars on par with modern football.

However, fate has other arrangements. Egyptian Salah remains in the Premier League and continues to compete for important trophys, while Mane's career is on a downhill road. He failed to settle down in Bayern Munich, and was injured and in a state of unstable condition. His subsequent conflict with Sane in the locker room brought an end to his brief Bundesliga career.

After that, the Senegalese star bid farewell to European football and accepted a generous invitation to win by Riyadh. Despite doubts about the league level, Mane is still an important figure for the club and national team. His high salary is a recognition of his deep imprint on fans, but it seems that Mane's talent should have allowed him to achieve greater success.

3. Mahrez (Jeddah National) - US$59 million

The bronze medalist in this list is Mahrez, one of the main symbols of Leicester City's historic Premier League championship in the 2015/16 season and later an important part of Guardiola's domination of Manchester City. After five seasons at Etihad, he won all the honors he could win, including the 2022/23 Champions League title, before he decided to bid farewell to European football.

Transfer to Jeddah Nationals has brought him a generous contract and status as one of the top players in the league. Not only did Mahrez make a lot of money, he continued to fight for enjoyment, maintaining a creative core role at the club level and at the Algerian national team. Even though he is 34 years old, Mahrez still won the Champions League, although now in the Asian arena.

2. Benzema (Jeddah United) – After playing for Real Madrid for 14 years and winning the 2022 Golden Globes, the French star decided to change everything. In the summer of 2023, he joined Jeddah United.

This transfer seems to be a win-win for both sides: a legend in European football, one of the smartest strikers of his generation, will become the star of this ambitious new club and the entire league. But the reality is even more complicated: he is not fast to adapt to the new league, and there are rumors that he has clashed with coach Marcelo Galardo, and even rumored that his contract may be terminated early.

Despite the difficulties, Benzema once again demonstrated his professionalism and ability to prove value in adversity. Jeddah United fired Galardo, according to the club’s president, precisely because of his conflict with Benzema. Despite a tough start, the Frenchman has scored 30 goals in 50 games in the Saudi Pro League.

1. Ronaldo (Victory of Riyadh) – US$228 million

Superstar Ronaldo ranked first in the world's highest-paid football player with a huge advantage. The signing of the Portuguese star in January 2023 was a loud bang from Saudi Arabia: "We are ready." Although there were already many well-known stars in the Saudi professional league at that time, it was Ronaldo's transfer that opened Saudi Arabia's door to the world. In this context, football results are just an add-on to sky-high contracts, because the main goal is to enhance the international status of the league.

For Ronaldo himself, this transfer is both a challenge and an opportunity to prove that he is not old. In the end, he succeeded. Scoring 93 goals in 105 games proved the 40-year-old's great contribution, but Riyadh's victory was only one thing away from consolidating his success: a trophy. Some fans blamed this on Ronaldo himself, while others accused the club management of being a little "slack" after Ronaldo's arrival, believing that he could win the trophy alone.

Looking at his career, Ronaldo has proved time and time again that he can overcome the most difficult situation, so we can only watch the Portuguese star's journey in Saudi Arabia. By the time you read this article, Ronaldo has made another $3,400.