Footballers have seen their wages skyrocket over the last few decades and a lot of clubs are willing to offer eye-watering contracts to big-name players.

While the Premier League and La Liga used to be the biggest spenders in terms of player wages, the Saudi Pro League have flexed their financial muscles in the last two years.

Note: All figures mentioned are before tax and don’t include any sponsorship and endorsement deals.

10. Kevin De Bruyne – £400,000-per-week
De Bruyne has enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Manchester City and is earning £400,000-per-week, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League.

But his contract is due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season and the 33-year-old has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, which would move him further up this list.

“At my age you have to be open to everything,” De Bruyne said. “You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.”

9. Ivan Toney – £407,708-per-week
One of seven Saudi Pro League players on the list, Toney left Brentford in the summer and completed a £40million move to Al-Ahli.

The 28-year-old striker got a substantial pay rise, going from just £20,000-per-week in England to £407,708-per-week in Saudi Arabia.

His contract makes him the highest-paid English player in the world, ahead of the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

He can also earn an additional £101,168-per-week in bonuses, taking his potential salary to £508,875-per-week.

8. Kylian Mbappe – £499,446-per-week
Mbappe joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer following the expiration of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and immediately became the highest-paid player at the Bernabeu.

But he actually took a pay cut to secure his dream move, going from £1.15million-per-week in France to £499,446-per-week in Spain.

The France international does have a number of performance-related bonuses in his contract and can earn an additional £646,003-per-week.

His base salary will see him earn £25.9million-per-year and if he triggers all of his bonuses it’ll reach £59.6million-per-year.

7. Robert Lewandowski – £532,689-per-week
The highest-paid player in Europe’s top five leagues, Lewandowski joined Barcelona in 2022 and his contract was signed in a way which would see his salary increase year-on-year.

After earning £332,911-per-week in 2022/23 and £432,800-per-week in 2023/24, the striker is now being paid £532,689-per-week but he was willing to take a pay cut.

“He’s a player committed to the club and I can assure you of that,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said.

“When he heard that we had to make some efforts to reach the Fair Play to register players, he told us he could lower his contract in order to help the club.”

“I really appreciate it, but I told him it wasn’t necessary. He’s very committed to the club and he’s also demanding with the team, with himself and with his teammates. We’ve gotten a good performance out of him and I’m sure that this will be Lewandowski’s best year.”

Robert Lewandowski has made a decision on his Barcelona future

6. Kalidou Koulibaly – £554,585-per-week
After spending the 2022/23 season at Chelsea, Koulibaly left Stamford Bridge and signed a three-year contract at Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.

The centre-back is pocketing a reported £554,585-a-week in Saudi Arabia, making him the highest-paid defender in the world.

“I can’t deny it,” he said when asked about the money. “I will be able to help my whole family to live well, from my parents to my cousins, and support the activities of my Capitaine du Coeur association in Senegal.

“We started building a clinic in my parents’ village. I have many projects to help young people. I don’t like being on the bench doing nothing. I prefer to go where I am really wanted.”

5. Sadio Mane – £639,291-per-week
One of two Al-Nassr players on this list, Mane joined the Saudi Pro League side in the summer of 2023 after leaving Bayern Munich.

He signed a three-year contract and nearly doubled his salary, going from £351,610-per-week in Germany to £639,291-per-week in Saudi Arabia.

But the Senegal international hasn’t forgotten his roots and has reportedly put an estimated £1million into funding new schools and hospitals in Bambali.

4. Riyad Mahrez – £834,275-per-week
Mahrez won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup with Manchester City in the 2022/23 season before completing a £30million move to Al-Ahli.

“I was offered four years in Saudi Arabia, in a Muslim country where I can definitely protect (and provide for) my family,” he said. “There was also a new challenge, and a new project. So, I decided to leave, it wasn’t a big deal.”

The Algeria international is now earning £834,275-per-week and £43.38million-per-year, making him Africa’s highest-paid footballer.

3= Karim Benzema – £1.59m-per-week
After enjoying 14 trophy-laden years at Real Madrid, Benzema decided to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

He was already on a lucrative £383,574-per-week contract in Madrid but the Saudi Pro League side took it to a whole new level.

The 36-year-old striker now earns £1.59million-per-week in the Middle East and is the joint-second highest-paid footballer in the world.

3= Neymar – £1.59m-per-week
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 and joined Al Hilal in a deal worth an initial £77.6million and another £8.4million in add-ons, making him the most expensive signing in Saudi Pro League history.

Alongside the transfer fee, Al Hilal also shelled out a significant pay packet as they are giving him a reported £1.59million-per-week.

The Brazil international was paid a total of £82.6million during his first year at the club but made just five appearances in 2023/24 after sustaining an ACL injury.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season and has recently been linked with both Santos and Inter Miami.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £3.19m-per-week
After joining Al Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023, Ronaldo regained his status as the highest-paid footballer in the world.

He put pen to paper a two-and-a-half-year contract worth in the region of £3.19million-per-week. That works out to an astonishing £12.76million-per-month and £165.8million-per-year.

“I came to win, to improve the league,” Ronaldo said when asked about his decision. “I want to leave a legacy. That’s what I want.

“They say I’m finished, that I’m only here for the money… but I still feel the passion. They don’t believe it, but I’m here to win.”

The 39-year-old striker has now scored over 75 goals for the club and helped them win the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.

Barcelona’s ability to develop talent through La Masia is paying off handsomely once again.

Over the past few years, three young talents—Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, and Gavi—have experienced remarkable surges in their market values, transforming the club’s investment of almost nothing into an astonishing €240 million.

These players have become some of the hottest young prospects in world football, showing just how vital La Masia is to Barcelona’s success on and off the field.

Pau Cubarsi – From €1.5m to €30m

Young defender Pau Cubarsi has seen his value skyrocket in recent months. Back in December 2023, Cubarsi was valued at just €1.5 million.

While this wasn’t insignificant for a young, unproven defender, his progression in the senior team and his outstanding performances have led to a massive jump in his value. As of today, Cubarsi is now worth an impressive €30 million.

The rapid rise in Cubarsi’s market worth is a testament to his solid defensive abilities and his adaptability. The 17-year-old has quickly cemented his place as a reliable option at the back for Barcelona.

His composure, vision, and defensive intelligence have caught the attention of scouts and managers alike, pushing his market value up at a phenomenal rate.

With his current trajectory, his worth is expected to rise even further as he becomes a regular for both club and country.

Lamine Yamal – Breaking records with €120m valuation

Arguably the most notable rise in value belongs to forward Lamine Yamal. His journey from promising academy talent to one of football’s hottest prospects has been nothing short of extraordinary.

By the time Yamal made his senior debut, he was valued at just €25 million, a decent figure for a teenager making his first steps into top-flight football. By December 2023, his value had doubled to €60 million, reflecting his growing influence in the team.

However, the real explosion in Yamal’s market value came soon after, with his current valuation sitting at a staggering €120 million. This makes him not only one of the most valuable young players in the world but also one of the most valuable players in general.

At only 17, Yamal is already being compared to some of the best forwards in the world, and his value will likely continue to rise as he continues to develop considering that Paris Saint-Germain are right on his tail.

Gavi – €90m despite injury woes

Young midfielder Gavi has also seen his market value grow despite having been sidelined for nearly a year due to injury.

When Gavi first burst onto the scene, like Yamal, he was valued at around €25 million. His breakthrough performances in midfield, showcasing a blend of aggression, technical ability, and leadership, quickly earned him a much higher valuation.

Today, Gavi is worth €90 million. This is particularly impressive considering his injury troubles, which have kept him off the pitch for an extended period.

Despite this, Gavi remains a highly valued asset for Barcelona, thanks to his previous displays and his potential to return even stronger.

His resilience, combined with his tactical understanding and energy in the middle of the park, makes him a vital part of Barcelona’s future.

Player valuations obtained from transfermarkt.com on the date of publication.

The auction for the napkin which famously launched Lionel Messi’s Barcelona career as a 13-year-old opened this week with a guide price of £300,000-£500,000 ($374,700-$624,500).

Bidding for the item stands at £220,000 and will be open with the British auction house Bonhams until May 17.

The sale was originally slated for for March but was postponed due to a dispute over the ownership of the napkin, which has been in the hands of Horacio Gaggioli, an Argentine agent, for the last two decades.

Josep Minguella, another advisor involved in the deal to bring Messi over from Argentina, claimed possession of the napkin following the news it would be auctioned earlier this year.

Gaggioli disputed this, while Bonhams told ESPN there were “no problems” regarding the sale of the napkin, which is listed on their website as “property of Horacio Gaggioli.”

The auction for the napkin has opened after a dispute over it original ownership. Bonhams
Minguella has not replied to ESPN’s request for comment. With Messi’s father, Jorge, beginning to doubt Barça’s commitment to his son in 2000, the club’s director of football at the time, Carles Rexach, hastily scrambled together an agreement on a napkin.

It was signed by Rexach, Minguella, who had helped bring Messi over from South America, and Gaggioli, who helped broker the deal, serving as a promise for a first contract.

Since then, it has remained under the ownership of Gaggioli in a secure vault in Andorra, the Principality to the north of Barcelona sandwiched between Spain and France.

Negotiations for it to be incorporated into Barça’s museum at the club’s Spotify Camp Nou stadium broke down in the past.

The napkin was originally signed on Dec. 14, 2000 at a tennis club in Barcelona after Rexach had received a frantic call from Jorge Messi threatening to take his son back to Argentina.

“That was when, thinking on my feet, I decided everything,” Rexach told ESPN in 2020 to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing.

“Why a napkin? Because it was the only thing I had available to hand. I saw the only way to relax Jorge was signing something, giving him some proof, so I asked for a napkin from the waiter.

“I wrote: ‘In Barcelona, on 14 December 2000 and in the presence of Messrs Minguella and Horacio, Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, hereby agrees, under his responsibility and regardless of any dissenting opinions, to sign the player Lionel Messi, provided that we keep to the amounts agreed upon.’

“I told Jorge that my signature was there and that there were witnesses, that with my name I would take direct responsibility, there was nothing else to talk about and to be patient for a few days because Leo could already consider himself a Barca player.”

Messi, who now plays for MLS side Inter Miami, went on to become Barça’s greatest ever player, making more appearances (778) and scoring more goals (672) than anyone else who has played for the club.

During over 20 years in Barcelona, he won 10 LaLiga titles, seven Copas del Rey and four Champions League trophies while playing for the club before joining Paris Saint-Germain and later Inter Miami.

Individually, he has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times and has also been named The Best FIFA Men’s Player on three occasions.

International success with Argentina had eluded him until recently, but he finally won the Copa América in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022 to go with the Olympic Gold Medal he won in 2008.