Forbes released the 2025 football income list, Ronaldo ranked first, Messi s income is less than half of Ronaldo

"Forbes" magazine recently announced the top ten highest-paid football players in 2025. Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Riyadh Victory, ranks first on the list with an annual income of US$280 million, even leading by a cliff. Messi ranks second with a total income of US$130 million, not even half of Ronaldo. Benzema, who also plays in the Saudi league, ranks third with $104 million. Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Benzema are also the only three football players with an annual income of more than $100 million. In addition, Mbappe, Haaland, Vinicius, Salah, Mane, Bellingham and Yamal also entered the top ten.

NO1, Cristiano Ronaldo, with total income of US$280 million. The income of this list is divided into two parts. One part is the player's on-field income, which is what we usually call the income directly obtained from the club such as player wages, bonuses and image rights agreements. The other part is the off-field income, which mainly refers to commercial income such as player endorsements, sponsorships and investments. Ronaldo's new contract with Riyadh Victory has an annual salary of about 200 million euros, equivalent to about 230 million U.S. dollars. This contract will last until June 2027, which is also the bulk of Ronaldo's annual income. In addition to commercial advertising, Ronaldo's off-field income also includes his personal brand CR7, which involves hotels, gyms and watches, totaling approximately US$50 million. It is particularly worth mentioning that Ronaldo's total number of fans on various online platforms has exceeded 1 billion, making him the person with the most fans in the world.

NO2, Messi, with total income of US$130 million. After Messi joined Inter Miami of the Major League, the club and the league paid him an annual salary of 60 million euros, including some commercial terms. This contract will expire at the end of December 2025. Considering the huge star effect Messi has brought after joining the MLS, if Messi renews his contract, his annual salary may increase significantly. In addition, Messi has personally signed endorsement agreements with brands such as Adidas, Lay's and Mastercard, and launched a sports drink brand in 2024. Coupled with his investment in the hotel and catering industry, his off-field income is as high as 70 million euros, even surpassing Ronaldo, making him the football player with the highest off-field income.

NO3, Benzema, total income of US$104 million. Benzema's total income mainly comes from the annual salary paid to him by Jeddah United Club. When Jeddah United signed Benzema in July 2023, it provided him with an annual salary of US$100 million. Benzema has therefore become the player with the annual salary in world football second only to Ronaldo. This contract will expire in June 2026. In addition, Benzema still has tens of millions of fans on social media platforms, which has also brought him US$4 million in off-field income.

NO4, Mbappe, total income of 95 million euros. According to the list, Mbappe's on-field income will reach US$70 million in 2025, of which his annual salary at Real Madrid is approximately 35 million euros, and most of the rest comes from his image rights. In addition to attacking the city on the court, Mbappe also made multiple investments off the court. He currently owns more than 10% of the shares of the German electronics company Loewe and 80% of the shares of the French club Caen. In addition, he has also invested in a luxury watch shopping platform and the French International Sailing Grand Prix racing team. These investments have brought him US$25 million in off-court income.

NO5, Haaland, total income of 80 million US dollars. After the end of last season, Manchester City signed a new nine-year contract with Haaland, with a weekly salary of up to 530,000 pounds, making him the player with the highest weekly salary in the Premier League. Together with the image rights and bonus clauses, this brings his on-field income to nearly 60 million US dollars. In addition, Haaland has signed lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, a Norwegian salmon, fruit and vegetable brand, and a number of luxury luggage brands, bringing him about $20 million in off-court income.

NO6, Vinicius, with a total income of US$60 million. Before the arrival of Mbappe, Vinicius was Real Madrid's highest-paid player. Real Madrid paid him an annual salary of 21 million euros per year. Including income from image rights and other income, Vinicius's on-field income was about 40 million US dollars. More than a dozen brands, including Nike, Hugo Boss and Prada eyewear, provide Vinicius with a total of approximately US$20 million in off-court income.

NO7, Salah, with a total income of US$55 million. After the end of last season, Liverpool extended Salah's contract until June 2027, with an annual salary of up to US$27 million. With other income, Salah's on-field income reached US$35 million. As the most successful and well-known African player, Salah is also deeply loved by sponsors. His off-field income is as high as 20 million US dollars.

NO8, Mane, with a total income of US$54 million. Mane transferred from Bayern to Riyadh Victory in August 2023. The two parties signed a three-year contract with an annual salary of up to US$50 million, which has also become Mane's main source of income. In addition, Mane received US$4 million in off-court income through a long-term partnership with sports brand New Balance.

NO9, Bellingham, total income of US$44 million. Bellingham's current annual salary at Real Madrid is 21 million euros, which is the same as Vinicius. However, Bellingham's income from image rights is significantly lower than Mbappe and Vinicius, which makes his on-field income only 29 million US dollars per year. This contract will expire in June 2029. In addition, Bellingham can earn about $15 million in off-court income through commercial endorsements.

NO10, Yamal, total revenue of US$43 million. With his outstanding performance in the past two seasons, 18-year-old Yamal is becoming the most promising and profitable young man on the planet. Barcelona renewed his contract last season until June 2031, providing him with an annual salary of approximately US$20 million. Including image rights income, Yamal's on-field income reached US$33 million. In addition, Yamal has earned US$10 million off the court through commercial sponsorship. I believe that as he grows older, his commercial value will only get higher and higher. Yamal is also the first 18-year-old player to enter the top ten in the 22-year history of Forbes Football Rich List.

The world's ten highest-paid football players are expected to earn a total of $945 million in the 2025-26 season, with the top ten's total earnings declining compared to the 2024-25 season The main reason is that Neymar, who ranked third on last year's list, has completely fallen out of the rankings. His total income last season reached US$110 million. After leaving Riyadh Crescent, his total annual income dropped sharply to US$38 million.

Note: The picture comes from the Internet.