Cristiano Ronaldo was once again selected as the highest-paid professional player by Forbes, earning twice as much money as Messi

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has once again become the highest-paid football player in the world according to Forbes. This is the sixth time in the past 10 years that he has topped the list.

According to Forbes' ranking of the world's highest-paid football players for the 2025/26 season on Thursday (see attached table), local time, Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with a total off-field and off-field income of US$280 million, more than double the US$130 million of Messi, his old rival and second-placed player. Analysis pointed out that Messi's income mainly comes from endorsement income off the court, not from salary income from playing for Inter Miami.

The third place is the former French striker Benzema, who has won the Ballon d'Or. He earlier signed a lucrative contract with Jeddah United (Cantonese translation: Al Ittihad), with an annual income of up to 104 million US dollars.

In the globally influential Premier League, only two people rank in the top 10, including Manchester City striker Haaland and Liverpool striker Salah, ranking 5th and 7th respectively. The top 10 have the most La Liga players, with 4 in total, including Real Madrid forward Mbappe in 4th place and his teammate Vinicius in 6th place. Barcelona's young and popular Yamal is ranked 10th, and he also has a promising future.

From "Forbes" announced the ranking of the world's highest-paid football players

Player Income (USD)

1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Riyadh Victory) 280 million

2 Messi (Inter Miami) 130 million

3 Benzema (Jeddah United) 104 million

4 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) 95 million

5 Haaland (Manchester City) 80 million

6 Vinicius (Real Madrid) 60 million

7 Salah (Liverpool) 55 million

8 Mane (Riyadh Victory) 54 million

9 Bellingham (Real Madrid) 44 million

10 Yamal (Barcelona) 43 million