Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World

Soccer is the most famous game with over a billion people watching the World every year and FIFA generating at least 5 billion dollars in revenue.

Despite earning high, both Messi and Ronaldo have been faced with accusations of tax fraud. Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, in 2016, were found guilty on three counts of defrauding revenue authorities of 4.6 million dollars.

Ronaldo, in 2017, was accused by the Spanish government of defrauding Spain’s tax authorities of around 17.5 million dollars.

Players are cashing in, I thought of converting the dollars to Kenyan shillings and hit me, the numbers are too many and it is only sensible to present them to you in dollars. Here are the eight highest paid soccer players in the world:

1. Lionel Messi

Pay: 111 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 84 Million dollars
Endorsements: 27 Million dollars
Country: Argentina
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward

Age: 31 Years Old

Lionel Messi is currently the world’s highest-paid soccer player. Argentina’s national has played for FC Barcelona ever since 2000 when he was just 13 years of age. Messi, in 2017, signed a contract to stay with the club through the 2020-2021 season which included an estimated $822 million buyout clause. Messi is a father of three boys.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Pay: 108 Million Dollars
Salary/winnings: 61 Million Dollars
Endorsements: 47 Million dollars
Country: Portugal
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward

Age: 33 Years Old

Cristiano Ronaldo follows Messi closely becoming the world’s 2nd highest-paid player. Ronaldo signed a contract to extend his stay with Real Madrid in 2016. The contract is expected to value his stay to be worth more than 50 million dollars a year before it is taxed.

Cristiano has previously landed lucrative endorsement deals from companies like Tag Heuer and Nike. Ronaldo is a father of four.

3. Neymar da Silva Santos

Pay: 90 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 73 Million dollars
Endorsements: 17 Million dollars
Country: Brazil
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Position: Forward

Age: 26 years old

Neymar is most likely not even halfway through his footballing career but is already on this list and among the most marketable athletes across the World.

Neymar turned 26 in 2018 and is already in the record of having scored over 250 goals at the club level.

The former Santos star is surely on his way to becoming the wealthiest sportsmen of his generation. Neymar is a father of one.

4. Gareth Bale

Pay: 34.6 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 28.6 Million dollars
Endorsements: 6 Million dollars
Country: Wales
Club: Real Madrid
Position: Forward

Age: 29 years old

The Welsh professional footballer really does know his worth. Gareth plays as a winger for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team.

Wales’ Gareth Bale is the only player listed as highest-paid whose national team did not qualify for the World Cup. He is a father of two with another little champion on the way.

5. Paul Pogba

Pay: 29.5 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 25 Million dollars
Endorsements: 4.5 Million dollars
Country: France
Club: Manchester United
Position: Midfield

Age: 25 Years Old

The French professional footballer plays for Premier League club Manchester United (Man-U), after transferring from Juventus, and the French national team.

6. Oscar

Pay: 27.4 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 25.9 Million dollars
Endorsements: 1.5 Million dollars
Country: Brazil
Club: Shanghai SIPG
Position: Midfield

Age: 26 Years Old

The American born, Brazil national previously played for Chelsea before transferring to the Chinese Shangai team. He is a father of two.

7. Wayne Rooney

Pay: 27 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 22 Million dollars
Endorsements: 5 Million dollars
Country: England
Club: Everton
Position: Forward

Age: 33 Years Old

The English professional soccer player plays for Major League Soccer club in the United States. He has mostly played as a forward and also been a midfielder. Rooney is the record goalscorer for the England national team and for Manchester United.

He is a father of three.

8. Luis Suarez

Pay: 26.9 Million dollars
Salary/winnings: 19.9 Million dollars
Endorsements: 7 Million dollars
Country: Uruguay
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward

Age: 31 Years Old

The Uruguayan professional footballer is a striker for Barcelona, Spanish club, and Uruguay’s national team. He is a father of two.