The Richest Footballers in the World
To the victor goes the spoils, and that’s certainly the case in football. The world’s most popular sport has lured millions of men and women to try their luck, but only a select few have had the fortune of gaining a mouth-watering net worth thanks to their footballing exploits. Today, we’re taking a look at the 10 richest male footballers (active and retired) in the world.
10. Wayne Rooney
It has been four years since Wayne Rooney hung up his boots, ending a stellar career that saw him mark an era at the club and international level for Manchester United and England. However, he’s still racking in the profits; according to Pulse Sports, Rooney’s net worth was a whopping $170 million in 2024.
The all-time leading scorer in Manchester United’s history, Rooney earned endorsement deals with Nike, Nokia, Ford, Asda, and Coca-Cola and appeared on seven consecutive UK-version covers of Electronic Arts’ FIFA video game series from FIFA 06 to FIFA 12. And whilst his coaching career hasn’t quite managed to take off just yet following disappointing spells at D.C. United and Birmingham City, he certainly isn’t in desperate need of a paycheck anytime soon.
9. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé isn’t your average footballer. At 26 years of age, he’s already won a FIFA World Cup with France and seven Ligue 1 titles with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, and he looks set to add to his growing trophy cabinet this season with Real Madrid. Mbappé earned a €180 million move to PSG when he was just 18; eight years later, he joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Due to this lack of a transfer fee, Mbappé was able to command a €150 million signing bonus, split across five years, as well as a gross salary of €26 million. This, combined with his appearances on the cover of various FIFA video games, as well as endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Hublot, and Oakley, have seen him accrue a net worth of $180 million.
8. Zlatan Ibrahimović
Mbappé may be PSG’s all-time leading scorer, but Zlatan Ibrahimović helped to put PSG on a pedestal and establish their domestic dynasty in France. The Swedish striker achieved an unprecedented longevity that saw him score in each of the last four decades, racking up over 570 career goals and enjoying success with Malmö, Ajax, Milan, Inter, Juventus, Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy.
Whilst Zlatan retired in 2023, he remains involved in football as a minority owner in Swedish club Hammarby IF as well as a technical advisor for Milan. He is also under contract with Nike and features in their television advertisements, appearing alongside other big-name stars like Rooney and Neymar. All told, Zlatan has a net worth of approximately $190 million.
7. Karim Benzema
One of the greatest strikers to step onto a football pitch, Karim Benzema has become renowned for his technical finesse, creativity and versatility. He marked an era with Real Madrid and helped them become the kings of Europe again, winning 24 trophies including five UEFA Champions Leagues, and he is Real’s second-highest goalscorer and top assist provider of all time.
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After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018, Benzema transitioned from a false 9 into Real’s attacking talisman, leading the line with ease and even winning the Ballon d’Or in 2022, before taking his talents to Saudi club Al-Ittihad. Not only did Benzema pen a two-year, $436 million contract, but he’s also achieved lucrative sponsorships with Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai, the French telephone operator SFR and its subsidiary BuzzMobile, the French bank LCL and the sports betting company bwin. He has a net worth of $200 million, and as long as he stays in Saudi Arabia, it’s likely that number will continue to grow.
6. Dave Whelan
The oldest member of this list, Dave Whelan played for Blackburn Rovers from 1956 to 1960 and Crewe Alexandra from 1962 to 1966 before opening a series of supermarkets. The 87-year-old served as Wigan Athletic’s chairman for two decades before passing the position to his grandson David Sharpe, whilst he also owns the fishing store JJB Sports.
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Since purchasing it in 1977, Whelan has helped JJB Sports grow into the UK’s second biggest sports retailer. A supporter of the Conservative Party, Whelan has donated in total £1.5 million to the party since 2007. Whilst it may seem like a significant amount, it’s a mere drop in the bucket compared to his $210 Million net worth.
5. Neymar
Over the past decade, Neymar has staked his claim as one of the most naturally gifted players in world football, taking Brazilian football by storm with Santos before establishing himself as a vital cog for Barcelona and helping them win the 2015 Champions League. He then took his talents to PSG in 2017 for €222 million, which remains the most expensive transfer fee of all time.
Seven years later, Neymar headed to Saudi Arabia and joined Al-Hilal, where he featured sparingly due to injury before returning to Santos in January. He has achieved lucrative sponsorship deals with companies like Nike, Puma, Panasonic, and Volkswagen, and he’s even appeared in movies like ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’ the popular Netflix crime series ‘Money Heist’ as Monje Joao. As of 2024, he boasts a net worth of $250 million.
4. David Beckham
Another ex-PSG player who’s racking in the profits is David Beckham. Having plied his trade at Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham became the first global superstar in MLS history when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007. In order to lure him to MLS, Beckham was given an option to purchase an MLS expansion side for a measly $25 million, which he exercised by buying Inter Miami. Since then, he has raised the club’s value to over $1 billion.
Beckham isn’t just reaping the rewards from Miami, but a $160 million lifetime contract with Adidas that saw him earn nearly half the money upfront, and that continues to land him percentages of profits on his branded Adidas products. In 2021, he became a global ambassador for Italian luxury car brand Maserati. All in all, Beckham boasts a stunning net worth of $550 million.
3. Lionel Messi
One of the reasons for Inter Miami’s commercial success has been the arrival of Lionel Messi. The Argentine playmaker has done it all from winning eight Ballon d’Ors to leading Argentine to World Cup glory to helping Barcelona achieve a domestic and international dominance. Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).
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According to France Football, Leo Messi was the world’s highest-paid footballer for five years out of six between 2009 and 2014, and was ranked the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2019 and 2022. In 2020, Messi became the second footballer and second team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. Even as he approaches 38 years of age, Messi continues to deliver the goods for Miami and show why he is one of the greatest to ever do it.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
It’s hard to find a record that Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t broken. He has won five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, whilst he also has the most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League and is the all-time leading scorer (118) in international football. He’s made over 1,200 professional career appearances and is the all-time leading scorer in Portugal and Real Madrid’s history.
Ronaldo is still going strong at the age of 40 with Al-Nassr, both on and off the pitch. He’s earned a string of endorsement deals with clothing brands, soft drink companies, financial services and video games, and he currently wears the Nike Mercurial Vapor personalized CR7 edition. He boasts a net worth of $800 million, and today, he has his eyes set on becoming the first player to score 1,000 goals. )
1. Faiq Bolkiah
The richest footballer in the world isn’t Messi or Ronaldo or Neymar; it’s Faiq Bolkiah. Boasting a jaw-dropping net worth of $20 billion, Bolkiah is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, the Prince of Brunei as well as the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of the oil-rich asian country. He has played for Leicester City, Southampton, and Chelsea at the youth level, but today, he’s playing for Thai League 1 club Ratchaburi.
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The Sovereign Wealth Fund of Brunei boasts a total of $73 billion in assets under management. Most of this wealth is sourced from oil and gas investments—the sector is a mainstay of the country’s economy, and half of Brunei’s GDP relies on oil revenues. It’s fair to say that, even if football doesn’t work out for Faiq, he won’t have to worry about paying the bills anytime soon.
By: @PulseSportsNG
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Soccrates Images / Getty Images – DeFodi Images