The top earners in world football for 2026/27
There’s more money than ever in football, and some stars from the English, Spanish, and German top leagues—as well as the Saudi Pro League—are earning the biggest paychecks in the sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still the highest-paid player in the world, taking home over £200 million a year with Al Nassr. The Portuguese legend reportedly earns £214,546,335 annually, which breaks down to about £3,422,913 a week. His Real Madrid successor, Kylian Mbappe, comes in second, making nearly four times less in La Liga.
This list looks at the top earners in world football for the 2026/27 season, with the latest check in October 2026. The salary info comes from Capology, a site that tracks and estimates player wages. While they try to be accurate, they don’t have access to official contracts, so numbers might not be exact. The page will be updated as things change.
Nine out of the ten players on this list have “verified” salaries according to Capology. That means the wages were confirmed by clubs, agents, or multiple sources.
Since moving to the Saudi Pro League, 41-year-old Ronaldo is easily the highest-paid player, earning £214,546,335 a year. His fixed pay is about £177 million, plus a bonus of over £36 million at Al Nassr.
Mbappe joined Al Nassr from PSG in June 2024 and is now the second highest-paid in football, making £61,212,324 a year. He earns over £500,000 a week and gets an annual bonus of more than £34 million.
Erling Haaland tops the Premier League list and ranks third in the world. His weekly pay of £525,000 beats everyone in the English league and even rivals at Real Madrid. However, his yearly bonus is a bit smaller at £18.2 million.
Mbappe’s Brazilian teammate, Vinicius Junior, is also among the game’s top earners, making close to £43 million a year. He’s the only player in the top 10 whose salary isn’t verified by Capology. Vinicius earns about £513,273 a week, the same as Mbappe, but his bonus is much smaller at £16 million compared to Mbappe’s £34 million.
Sadio Mane, once a Liverpool star, moved first to Bayern Munich and then to the Saudi Pro League. At Al Nassr, the Senegalese forward earns over £650,000 per week, with the smallest bonus on the list—around £8.5 million.
Kalidou Koulibaly, after stints with Napoli and Chelsea, joined Al Hilal in 2023/24. Financially, this move looks smart, since he makes over £550,000 weekly plus a bonus of nearly £7.5 million.
Jamal Musiala is the only Bundesliga player on the list and is Bayern Munich’s highest-paid star. The 23-year-old German favorite earns almost £375,000 a week and gets a bonus of over £10 million each year.
After an exciting summer where he moved to Barcelona and won the 2026 World Cup, Rodri is now the highest-paid player at his club, making nearly £450,000 per week.
Barcelona’s rising star, Yamal, ranks second in the club’s wage list, earning over £375,000 weekly plus almost £9 million in bonuses. He earns £10 million more than the club’s third-highest earner, Raphinha, putting him and Rodri clearly ahead of their teammates.
One surprise on the list is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who earns over £400,000 per week at Al Hilal, along with an annual bonus of £5 million. Once a Serie A regular at Lazio, the Serbian moved to the Saudi Pro League in 2023/24—and with a yearly pay of more than £27 million, it’s easy to see why he’s happy to stay.