Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World – Forbes list 2020

Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World – Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and also one of the major sports that unites the world. Every season in football is an amazing season, it is either a particular club or a player create new record or he breaks already established record in football history.

 

Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

Soccer fans all over the world still take the pleasure in comparing the two great footballers in terms of their achievements and earning. We bring to you the Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World.

Messi is currently the Highest Paid Soccer Players World, with earnings of $127 million. A position he have maintained for two years in a row and might still continue in that feat because of the contract extension he signed in November 2017 that commits him to Camp Nou through June 2021. Messi smiles home with $92 million in salary and bonuses before taxes, a 9.5% increase to what he made last year playing on the pitch.

Part of that increase came by way of performance-incentive pay. The 32-year-old striker topped La Liga’s charts for both goals (36) and assists, marking his fifth season of 35 or more goals. It was also his sixth season in which he scored 50 or more goals across all club competitions. He shone brightly in the club’s run-up to quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, with the Argentine the top goal scorer of that competition, hitting the back of the net 12 times in 10 appearances.

To an already-rich list of sponsors off the pitch, including lifetime partner Adidas, Mastercard and PepsiCo soft drink and snack brands, Messi added high-end watchmaker Jacob & Co. to his portfolio this year. His first signature timepiece is a limited edition of 180 starting at $28,000. More recently, he partnered with MGO—a brand portfolio company whose chief creative officer is Tommy Hilfiger’s sister, Ginny Hilfiger—to create a signature line of clothing. It is expected to launch in July on the Messi Store, a global e-commerce site.

Ronaldo is the second Highest paid Soccer player in the world with earning of $109 million per year. It is a negligible increase over his tally last year, a result of taking what amounted to a pay cut to join Juventus after nine years with Real Madrid. His current four-year playing contract pays him a gross annual salary of $64 million and contains no bonus or incentives, per sources close to the deal. But hold back your tears for him.

Under the Italian tax code, Italian-sourced income, like the salary Ronaldo earns playing for Juve, is taxed at an ordinary top rate of 43%. Outside earnings are treated differently, though, and are subject only to a single, flat tax of about $115,000.

This structure bodes well for Ronaldo, a walking billboard who pitches products head to toe and earned $44 million last year doing so, almost entirely outside of Italy. It also softens the blow he was dealt this past January when he pleaded guilty to tax fraud in Spain for concealing income from commercial image rights earned between 2010 and 2014 and was ordered to pay a $21.6 million fine.

The 34-year-old Portuguese winger is making out well on the pitch, too. He scored 21 goals to lead Juventus to its eighth straight Serie A title and in the process became the first player to win league titles in Italy, Spain and England.

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Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar Jr. made $105 million last year to round out the top three highest-earning soccer players. His transfer from Barcelona to the French capital stands as the most expensive in the world at $263 million, and his five-year, $350 million total in salary and bonuses will keep him near the top of this list through June 2022.

Manchester United and the French World Cup champion Paul Pogba is ranked No. 4 among the World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players, with total earnings of $33 million. While PSG forward Kylian Mbappé is the No. 7 in the list of World Highest Paid Soccer with estimated earning of $30.6 million in a year.

The 20-year-old Mbappé is the youngest on our list of Top 20 World’s Highest Paid Soccer Players 2019. The young star had his global introduction at last year’s World Cup, scoring four goals in seven matches to help lead his French side to a World cup victory against Croatia. At 19, he was the second-youngest player to score a goal in the tournament, behind Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.

Modric, the current FIFA player of the year, missed the forbes List of 20 Top World’s Highest Paid Soccer Players 2019. But the Croatian national team captain agreed to a new contract with Real Madrid in February that ties him to the Bernabeu until June 2021 and could land him a spot here next year. His salary reportedly matches that of his teammate Sergio Ramos, who ranks No. 19 on our list with total earnings of $21.9 million, of which $19.9 is in salary and bonus.

Nike is Modric’s largest sponsor. In 2018, he admitted in Spanish court to tax evasion and agreed to pay a fine in excess of $1.3 million. He used the same lawyer as former teammate Ronaldo.

Finally, Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World 2020 were compiled by Forbes, a renowned American business magazine. They company had contacts with the clubs, players’ agents, commercial sponsors and soccer experts in the U.S. and Europe. So all figures represented here have been verified and converted to U.S. dollars which also includes soccer salaries, bonuses and endorsements. Transfer fees are excluded. Earnings are for the period June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019.

Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World 2020 with Their Net worth

  1. Lionel Messi
  • Total: $127M
  • Salary & Bonus: $92M
  • Endorsements: $35M
  • Largest Sponsors/Partners: Adidas, Gatorade, Lays, Pepsi, Ooredoo, Mastercard, Jacobs & Co.
  • Club: FC Barcelona Nation: Argentina Age: 32
World's Highest Paid Soccer Players

Messi is the number 1 World’s Highest Paid Soccer Players right now. Since his debut for Barcelona in November 2013, Messi has played 687 matches for his club, scored 603 goals and won 33 club titles, including 10 La Liga championships. His current contract with Barcelona will ensure he remains a one-club man through 2020-21 and pay him over $80 million annually.

He also has a lifelong deal with Adidas. He has been awarded FIFA’s Player of the Year Awardsix times and won the European Golden Shoe for top scorer on the Continent a record six times. In 2016 he and his agent father were convicted of tax fraud in Spanish court for avoiding income tax between 2007 and 2009. He was ordered to pay a $2.25 million fine, and his 21-month prison sentence was reduced to an additional $250,000 fine.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

  • Total: $109M
  • Salary & Bonus: $65M
  • Endorsements: $44M
  • Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Herbalife, Altice, DAZN, MTG, Electronic Arts, CR7 line of denim, underwear, footwear, fragrance, hotels and gyms
  • Club: Juventus Nation: Portugal Age: 35
Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

Crisitiano Ronaldo is the 2nd World’s Highest Paid Soccer Players currently. After nine years with Real Madrid, Ronaldo joined Italian club Juventus in July 2018 for what amounted to a pay cut. His four-year deal pays him a gross annual salary of $64 million. Juventus sold 520,000 Ronaldo jerseys worth over $60 million within a day of release.

Ronaldo has won FIFA’s Player of the Year Award five times; is the first player to win Premier League, La Liga and Serie A titles; and is the all-time leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese star is the most followed athlete on social media, with 370 million total followers. He generated $474 million in value for his sponsors on social media last year.

In January, Ronaldo agreed to a $21 million fine for tax evasion between 2010 and 2014. He currently faces a rape claim case filed in federal court in the United States; he has denied the allegations.

3. Neymar Jr.

  • Total: $105M
  • Salary & Bonus: $75M
  • Endorsements: $30M
  • Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Red Bull, EA Sports, Mastercard, Gaga Milano, Gillette, Beats by Dre, DAZN
  • Club: Paris Saint-Germain Nation: Brazil Age: 28
World's Highest Paid Soccer Players

The 3rd World’s Highest Paid Soccer Players is Neymar Jr. Neymar is on a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain through June 2022 worth a total cash outlay of more than $600 million, of which $350 million will be paid in salary. His transfer from Barcelona to PSG stands as the most expensive in the world at $263 million, which the French club paid in full ahead of his signing.

The 28-year-old Brazilian is the second-most-popular athlete on social media, with 223 million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In 2016 Neymar was found guilty of avoiding taxes between 2011 and 2013 and paid a $1.2 million fine. This month, a woman filed a rape claim against him in Brazilian court; he denies the allegations.

Neymar lost Brazil’s national team captaincy ahead of this month’s Copa América after an altercation with a fan in the stands following PSG’s loss in the French Cup.

4. Paul Pogba

  • Total: $33M
  • Salary & Bonus: $29M
  • Endorsements: $4M
  • Largest Sponsor/Partner: Adidas
  • Club: Manchester United Nation: France Age: 27
World's Highest Paid Soccer Players

After four years with Juventus, Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-record $120 million transfer fee. His five-year contract pays over $20 million a year. The French midfielder auctioned off his 2018 World Cup-winning, Adidas-sponsored shoes for over $30,000 and donated the money to disadvantaged high schoolers.

Pogba’s struggle to get along with and perform under 25-time trophy winner José Mourinho is considered a main reason Man U relieved the manager of his duties in December.

5. Andrés Iniesta

  • Total: $32.5M
  • Salary & Bonus: $30M
  • Endorsements: $2.5M
  • Largest Sponsor/Partner: Asics
  • Club: Vissel Kobe Nation: Spain Age: 36
Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

The Spanish striker came up through Barcelona’s training academy and spent 22 years, three as captain, at the Catalan club before moving to Vissel Kobe in Japan in May 2018. Following his club move, Iniesta ended a 19-year sponsorship with Nike and signed a multiyear deal with Japanese footwear company Asics in October.

Iniesta’s winery, Bodega Iniesta, began production in 2010 and includes his Minuto 116, named for the minute in the 2010 World Cup when he scored the goal that gave Spain its first title.

6. Alexis Sánchez

  • Total: $30.8M
  • Salary & Bonus: $28.3M
  • Endorsements: $2.5M
  • Largest Sponsor/Partner: Nike
  • Club: Manchester United Nation: Chile Age: 31
Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

Sánchez moved to Manchester United from Arsenal in January 2018 and will make between $400,000 and $500,000 weekly plus an additional $1 million bonus annually through 2022. This past season, the 30-year-old struggled with injuries and had just six goals and five assists in 37 appearances.

Sánchez plays a leading role in the film Mi Amigo Alexis, released in May 2019, about a young boy from Chile who is desperate to follow in his hero’s footsteps.

7. Kylian Mbappé

  • Total: $30.6M
  • Salary & Bonus: $26.6M
  • Endorsements: $4M
  • Largest Sponsors/Partners: Nike, Hublot, Good Gout
  • Club: Paris Saint-Germain Nation: France Age: 21
Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

The 21-year-old Frenchman, initially on loan from Monaco, is on full contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2022, making over $20 million annually plus performance bonuses.

In 2018, the then-19-year-old Mbappé became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup and the second-youngest player, after legend Pelé, to score in a World Cup final.

Mbappé won the 2018 World Cup Best Young Player Award and was its joint second-highest scorer, and then won Ligue 1’s 2019 Player of the Year Award as its 2018-19 top goal scorer.

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