Cristiano Ronaldo Still Top of Football Earnings in 2025/26.

(The Post News)- Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the top spot on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid football players for the 2025–2026 season for the sixth consecutive decade.

ChrThree of the top ten players in Saudi Arabia right now are Portuguese players, including the star.

A week after Bloomberg announced that Ronaldo had become the first billionaire in football, Forbes said that the Al Nassr striker would make an incredible US$280 million (AU$431 million) this season, more than twice what his longstanding adversary Lionel Messi makes. The captain of Inter Miami ranks second with an estimated net worth of US$130 million (AU$200 million), primarily from off-field activities and endorsements.

Third place goes to former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who makes US$104 million (AU$160 million) a year, mostly from his rich contract with Saudi team Al Ittihad. Sadio Mané, Ronaldo’s teammate, comes in at number eight with an estimated net worth of US$54 million (AU$83 million). Following Neymar’s January transfer from Al Hilal to his hometown club Santos, the quantity of Saudi-based footballers in the top 10 has decreased from four to three. The Brazilian currently makes a lower US$38 million (AU$58 million), mostly from sponsorship deals, after ranking third last year with US$110 million (AU$169 million).

Only two of the English Premier League’s top players made the list, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool in seventh place and Erling Haaland of Manchester City in fifth, despite the league’s record-breaking £2.6 billion (AU$5.4 billion) summer transfer expenditure.

With four players Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé (fourth), Vinícius Jr. (sixth), and Jude Bellingham (ninth) and Barcelona’s adolescent phenom Lamine Yamal (who rounds out the top ten with US$43 million (AU$66 million), Spain’s La Liga leads the rankings.

The ten highest-paid football players in the world are expected to make a total of US$945 million (AU$1.4 billion) in 2025–2026, according to Forbes.

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Puleng Moloi

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I am a public relations graduate with quiet a passion for storytelling and a growing interest in journalism. I cover events and community stories with care, aiming to inform while learning from each assignment. I believe in thoughtful reporting, honest curiosity, and the power of listening.

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