Saudi Arabia, which opened the way to the Middle East for the football world, has ensured that the annual earnings of the players have increased significantly in recent years.
In the news file prepared by AA on the prominent issues of 2024 in sports, the “highest-earning” football players of the year were discussed.
According to Forbes’ list, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for the Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr, was at the top of the list of the highest-earning football players of 2024 with an income of 285 million dollars.
4 players from Saudi Arabia were among the 10 highest-paid football players of 2024. 3 football players from England, 2 from Spain and one from the USA were included in the list.
CRISTIANO RONALDO (AL NASSR)
In 2024, Ronaldo earned more than twice the earnings of his closest rival on the list, Argentinian Lionel Messi.
The 39-year-old football player, who broke his own record of $260 million in annual earnings last year, increased his income to $285 million this year.
Ronaldo, who increased his online presence by opening a YouTube channel in August, reached nearly 1 billion followers on all social media platforms.
Ronaldo, whose off-field income increased to $65 million annually with his brand partnerships, especially Nike, as well as his ventures in the hotel and clothing fields, earned $220 million from Al Nassr for one year.
LIONEL MESSI (INTER MIAMI)
Argentine star Lionel Messi ranked second on the list with his income of $135 million in 2024.
Messi, who earned $75 million thanks to his partnerships with brands such as Adidas, Apple TV and Konami, is the leader in off-field income.
37-year-old Messi, who has more than 500 million followers on Instagram and his own production company, received an annual salary of $60 million from the US team Inter Miami, for which he plays.
NEYMAR (AL HILAL)
Brazilian star Neymar became the third highest-earning football player of the year with the income he earned on and off the field, even though his career in Saudi Arabia did not go as expected.
The 32-year-old player, who was away from the field last year due to a knee injury, continued to cooperate with brands such as Puma and earned significant income through social media.
Neymar, who received 80 million dollars from Al Hilal, reached 110 million dollars in 2024 with an income of 30 million from off the field.
MY KARIM BENZEMA (AL ITTIHAD)
French Karim Benzema ranked 4th on the list of the highest-paid football players of 2024.
Benzema became one of the stars who decided to continue his career in Saudi Arabia for an astronomical sum in 2023.
36-year-old Benzema, who received a salary of 100 million dollars from Al Ittihad, increased his earnings to 104 million dollars with his off-field income.
KYLIAN MBAPPE (REAL MADRID)
French star Kylian Mbappe realized his “childhood dream” by transferring to Real Madrid this year.
The earnings of the 25-year-old football player, who received 20 million dollars thanks to partnerships including Nike and Dior, increased to 90 million dollars when the 70 million he earned from football was added.
The departure of Mbappe, who ranks 5th on the list of highest earners, also caused shock in the French league.
Due to the departure of star players, the annual broadcast revenue of the French league dropped from 1.1 billion to 700 million dollars.
TOP 10
The top 10 highest-earning names in the football world in 2024 are as follows:
| Footballer | Set | Earnings (million dollars) | |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | 285 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | InterMiami | 135 |
| 3 | Neymar | Al Hilal | 110 |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | Al Ittihad | 104 |
| 5 | Kylian Mbappe | real Madrid | 90 |
| 6 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 60 |
| 7 | Vinicius Junior | real Madrid | 55 |
| 8 | Mohammed Salah | Liverpool | 53 |
| 9 | Sadio Mane | Al Nassr | 52 |
| 10 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 39 |