Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's highest-paid footballer, with earnings of around $300 million, as per Forbes 2026 list. He's followed by Argentina's Lionel Messi ($140 million), France's Karim Benzema ($104 million) and Kylian Mbappé ($95 million), and Norway's Erling Haaland ($80 million). They're followed by Brazil's Vinicius Jr ($60 million) and Egypt's Mohamed Salah ($55 million).