Ronaldo surpasses Messi in one key metric in 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo leads Lionel Messi in the ranking of top-earning footballers for 2025.

Recently, the economic magazine Forbes released the list of the world's highest-earning football players in 2025, and Cristiano Ronaldo continues to hold the top position.

Specifically, the Portuguese superstar is expected to pocket around 280 million USD this year, making him the highest-earning footballer globally. The 40-year-old earns about 230 million USD annually from his contract with Al Nassr, in addition to roughly 50 million USD from bonuses and image rights.

Right behind Ronaldo is Lionel Messi, with an estimated income of 130 million USD, less than half of his great rival's earnings. Notably, the Argentine star is the only player in the top 10 highest earners who is currently playing in the United States, further demonstrating the enduring financial appeal of one of football's most iconic rivalries.

The rest of the list features many top names, clearly reflecting the global commercial power of contemporary stars. Karim Benzema is projected to earn 104 million USD, Kylian Mbappe 95 million USD, Erling Haaland 80 million USD, while Vinicius Junior records an income of 60 million USD.

Additionally, the football world sees several other high earners, including Mohamed Salah with 55 million USD, Sadio Mané 54 million USD, Jude Bellingham 44 million USD, and young talent Lamine Yamal with 43 million USD.

These figures highlight football’s exceptional global attraction, from salaries to commercial deals, and confirm Cristiano Ronaldo’s lasting dominance both on and off the pitch.

In October this year, Bloomberg reported that Cristiano Ronaldo became the first footballer to reach a net worth of one billion USD, making him the first billionaire footballer with an estimated total value of about 1.04 billion USD.

Besides income from salary and bonuses, Ronaldo owns a vast business ecosystem, including the CR7 brand, a hotel chain, a perfume line, as well as numerous advertising contracts and investments. Notably, he currently holds a 20% stake in Al Nassr club.