Twice as much as Messi
This is how much Cristiano Ronaldo has earned so far this season
October 16, 2025 – 8:24 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads a prestigious ranking – and is far ahead of his arch-rival. The new ranking shows how much the Portuguese has already earned in 2025/26.
Almost a week after being declared the first football billionaire, Cristiano Ronaldo is topping another ranking. According to the US business magazine Forbes, the Portuguese is once again the world’s highest-paid football player this season.
The 40-year-old has an annual income of 280 million US dollars (around 240.7 million euros). This consists of his salary at the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and extensive advertising income. This is the sixth time in ten years that Ronaldo has been number one on the Forbes list.
This means that the former world footballer currently earns twice as much as Lionel Messi, as “Forbes” reports.
The Argentine has an annual income of $130 million. Even if his salary at Inter Miami is lower, Messi is expected to benefit greatly from advertising revenue. According to the media company Bloomberg, Ronaldo’s estimated fortune is around $1.4 billion.
In third place is the Frenchman Karim Benzema, who is under contract with Al-Ittihad. According to the ranking, his annual income is $104 million. Fourth is Kylian Mbappé, who is listed as the highest-paid player at a European club after moving to Real Madrid. It comes to $95 million.