REVEALED! 10 Highest Paid Footballers In 2024: Mbappe Drops Down, Messi Missing

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.