Saudi Arabia has shaken up the football world by offering astronomical contracts to its stars. This has had a significant impact on the annual incomes of the highest paid footballers.
Last year, Kylian Mbappe became the world's highest paid footballer. It seemed that the leader of Paris Saint-Germain had finally broken the hegemony of Ronaldo and Messi. However, the year 2023 brought everything back to normal again.
The authoritative publication Forbes published a list of the 10 highest-paid footballers for 2023. 38-year-old Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the throne after a year of absence. Thanks to the generosity of the Saudis, his income was supplemented by $260 million. This amount includes money received for playing on the football field - 200 million, as well as a variety of commercial agreements - 60.
Ronaldo's eternal rival, Argentine Lionel Messi, is on the second line. He will receive on account of the amount almost half as much - 135 million dollars. In the back of veterans breathe Messi's ex-partners on the French PSG: Neymar and Mbappe. They will receive 112 and 110 million respectively.
And closing the top five richest ex-Real Madrid star Karim Benzema, who was also tempted by the big money and moved to Saudi Arabia. He got rich to the tune of 106 million.