Football's highest-earning stars revealed: top 10 players earn a combined 867 million euros

The world's highest-earning footballers have been revealed in Forbes' study covering the 2026/27 season. Cristiano Ronaldo retained top spot on the list, which takes into account club salaries, bonuses, sponsorship deals and commercial activities off the pitch. The Portuguese star's total annual income is estimated to reach around 276 million euros, while Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé also made the top three. In a ranking where the combined earnings of the top 10 players come to around 867 million euros, Trabzonspor's Mohamed Salah also earned a place.

According to the study published by Forbes, Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo is estimated to earn 300 million dollars (276 million euros) in the 2026/27 season. The Portuguese forward is expected to receive around 230 million euros of that sum from his club and 46 million euros from sponsorship deals and other commercial activities. That makes the 41-year-old Ronaldo the world's highest-earning footballer for the fourth consecutive season.

Second on the list is Inter Miami's Argentine star Lionel Messi. The 39-year-old's total annual income is estimated at around 133.4 million euros, with 64.4 million euros coming from football activities and 69 million euros from off-field deals. Messi is followed by Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé, who is expected to earn around 92 million euros.

Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland sits fourth in the ranking. The 26-year-old's total annual income was calculated at around 78.2 million euros. Real Madrid's Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior is fifth with 69.9 million euros. Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal took sixth place with estimated earnings of 50.6 million euros. The 19-year-old Spaniard's income was reported to have risen from 43 million dollars the previous year to 55 million dollars.

Trabzonspor's Salah makes the list

Forbes' study also featured a player from the Turkish Süper Lig. Mohamed Salah, who left Liverpool to join Trabzonspor in the summer transfer window, became the world's 10th highest-earning footballer with an annual income of around 36.8 million euros. Half of the 34-year-old Egyptian star's income comes from football activities, with the other half made up of sponsorship deals and commercial partnerships. According to Forbes, Salah, who signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, will earn around 19 million dollars a year and will also receive a 20 percent share of sales of licensed products linked to his name.