Lionel Messi
2019 Salary: $127 million
Lional Messi is not just the highest-paid soccer player, but the highest-paid athlete in the world. Known as one of FC Barcelona's star players, the Argentinian player landed a new 4-year contract with the team in 2017. He currently makes $92 million a year in salary and bonuses. To supplement his salary, Messi boasts a lifelong sponsorship deal with Adidas(ADDYY) , as well as smaller deals with Gatorade, Pepsi (PEP) - Get Report , and Huawei. This earns an additional $35 million a year in endorsements. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Messi's total worth is $400 Million. His international renown as an athlete has even earned him a theme park named in his honor, projected to open in 2020 in China. Unfortunately, before heading out on his tour of U.S., he injured his lower leg during training. Medical tests indicated a Grade 1 calf strain, a relatively small injury. However, his return to the game will lean on how quickly he recovers from the injury.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
2019 Salary: $109 million
Despite growing up in a humble home in Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is now the third-highest paid athlete in the world. He is often cited as one of the best soccer players of all time. In 2009, Ronaldo was transferred from the Manchester United team to Real Madrid, paying the most expensive transfer fee in history at the time. He continued playing with Real Madrid for the next 10 years. In July 2018, he signed a 4-year contract with the Italian team Juventus with a transfer fee of $117 million. This was the most an Italian team ever paid to acquire a player. Currently, Ronaldo is paid a salary of $65 million. In addition to his salary, Ronaldo boasts a lifetime contract with Nike. He also has deals with Herbalife (HLF) - Get Report , EA Sports (EA) - Get Report and American Tourister, bringing his income up another $44 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ronaldo's total worth is $460 million.
3. Neymar Jr.
2019 Salary: $105 million
Originally born in Brazil, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is now known as one of the world's best soccer players. He is best known for his expensive transfer, in which the Paris Saint-Germain team paid $263 million to the Barcelona team to acquire him. This remains the most expensive transfer fee in the sport's history. Neymar currently earns a salary of $75 million with the French team. In addition to his salary, the player has several endorsements that bolster his income. In 2011, he landed an 11-year contract with Nike (NKE) - Get Report . He also has deals with Red Bull, EA Sports, Mastercard (MA) - Get Report , and several other big-name companies - raking in an additional $30 million. Despite being a talented player, Neymar is not without controversy. In 2016, Neymar was convicted of tax fraud in Spain and forced to pay $1.2 million fine. He also got into an altercation with a spectator during a game on May 2019, resulting in a 3-game ban. In June 2019, he was accused of rape against a woman in Brazil, though the Brazilian courts dismissed the case in late July. Despite these missteps, Neymar has still become the third-highest paid soccer player in the world.
4. Paul Pogba
2019 Salary: $33 million
At age 26, Paul Pogba is known as one of the world's most promising players. He began his senior career playing for Manchester United for a year before being transferred to the Italian Juventus, who he stayed with for four years. His time with Juventus helped him establish a reputation as a promising young player, allowing him to return to Manchester United and garner a then-record breaking transfer fee of 105 million euros. This is still the highest an English team has ever paid to acquire a soccer player. He currently earns a salary of $29 million a year. Compared to some other top-paid soccer players, Pogba engages in fewer endorsement deals. His primary endorsement is with Adidas, bringing in $4 million additional earnings.
5. Andrés Iniesta
2019 Salary: $32.5 million
Andrés Iniesta is known as the most decorated Spanish soccer player in history, garnering numerous titles and trophies throughout his career. He has spent the majority of his time with the Barcelona team as a center midfielder. In 2018, Iniesta signed a contract to join the Japanese team Vissel Kobe. He currently makes $30 million a year in salary and bonuses. After moving on to the new team, the player ended his long-running sponsorship with Nike and signed on with Asics. He earns $2.5 million in sponsorships total. He also earns extra income from Bodega Iniesta, his winery in Albacete, Spain.
6. Alexis Sánchez
2019 Salary: $30.8 million
This Chilean soccer player has made his way around many different teams throughout his career, including Cobreloa, Udinese, and Barcelona. In 2018, Manchester United paid a 30 million euro transfer fee to acquire him. He boasts the highest transfer fee ever paid for a Chilean soccer player. Currently, Manchester United pays him $28.3 million in salary and bonuses. Additionally, he has $2.5 million in endorsements from Nike, Pepsi, and Huawei. Unfortunately, Sanchez has had numerous injuries in the last year, hurting his overall performance during this past season. Despite some rumors that Sanchez will be transferred into the team's reserves, team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer denies this claim.
7. Kylian Mbappé
2019 Salary: $30.6 million
Despite being only 20 years old, Kylian Mbappé is widely considered one of the best players in the sport. He is the youngest French player to score at a World Cup and only the second teenager ever to score at a World Cup Final. Mbappé originally signed on with Monaco in 2015, before being loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. He has since signed a full contract with the team. His salary and bonuses total $26.6 million. To bolster his income, Mbappé holds long-term sponsorship deals with Nike and Marco Verratti. He also became a global ambassador to Hubolt in 2018. These deals rake in an extra $4 million.
8. Mesut Özil
2019 Salary: $30.2 million
Mesut Özil is a 30-year-old German soccer player who currently serves as an attacking midfielder on London's Arsenal team. Özil boasts the highest transfer fee of any German player, with Arsenal paying €50 million to acquire him. In early 2018, the player renewed his contract with Arsenal and boosted his pay, earning $23.7 million. Additionally, he earns $6.5 million in endorsements and sponsorships. His largest contract is with Adidas, who he has been with since 2013 and has appeared in many commercials for the company. He also boasts deals with Mercedes Benz and Beats by Dre.
9. Oscar
2019 Salary: $29 million
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, widely known as "Oscar," is a Brazilian-born soccer player who has played on a multitude of teams since 2008. Today he serves as an attacking midfielder on the Shanghai SIPG team. He signed his contract with the Chinese team in 2017, more than quadrupling the pay he received on the Chelsea team he had been with since 2012. He now earns $27 million in salary and bonuses. His transfer fee from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG broke Asian transfer records at £60 million. Oscar has one sponsorship with Adidas, which earns an additional $2 million each year.
10. Antoine Griezmann
2019 Salary: $27.7 million
This French-born soccer player currently plays as a forward for Barcelona's team after being transferred from Spain's Atlético de Madrid team in 2019. Barcelona paid a $133 million transfer fee for Antoine Griezmann, the fourth-highest transfer fee any team has paid for a player. He earns $23.2 million in salary and bonuses. He also earns an additional $4.5 million in endorsements. Griezmann currently boasts a sponsorship with Puma (PUMSY) and regularly appears on their television commercials. He has yet another sponsorship with Huawei. Griezmann also serves as a brand ambassador for Head and Shoulders Shampoo and Gillette.
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