France international and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker, Kylian Mbappé, has emerged as the highest paid football player with $128 million in earnings more than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to Forbes, the 23-year-old makes $110 million on the field and $18 million off the field.
READ ALSO: Mbappe strikes late to give PSG edge over Real Madrid
Mbappé was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year in the 2021/22 season receiving the award thrice in four years.
Argentine Lionel Messi is the second top earner making a total of $120 million. Experts suggest his income could rise by 20% if he leads Argentina to World Cup victory next month.
The third highest paid is the Portuguese player and Manchester United striker, Cristiano Ronaldo off the pitch.
Ronaldo earns $60 million off the pitch thanks to endorsement from Nike, Herbalife and Livescore smiling to the bank for $100 million.
In total, the ten highest-paid soccer players are expected to collect record pretax earnings of $652 million this season, up 11% higher from last year’s $585 million.
The top three alone account for more than 50% of that figure. Salary and bonus still represent the bulk of the total, improving 7% to $444 million.
While COVID-19 losses previously put a damper on player movement, a recovery seems to be in full effect.
According to a report from Deloitte, Premier League clubs spent a record $2.2 billion on transfers this summer, 67% higher than a year ago.
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