Football is a sport where once you participate in it, you might make it big and gain wealth from it. Obviously there are drawbacks in becoming a footballer as your physical strength has to be at an optimum and your career might be cut short if a serious injury happens to you.
Furthermore, more than 50 years ago, footballers were not making as much money as they are today. For example, Albert Scanlon who was one of the “Busby Babes” who survived the Munich air disaster in 1958 was only purchased by Newcastle United for £18,000 in 1962.
To compare, an inflation calculator stated that £18,000 back then is worth about £454,000 today. Pretty sure that’s how much most Premier League players make in less than a month today and of course their purchase prices would make that inflated number look insignificant.
According to SCMP, here is the list of the richest football players in 2022.
Number 5: Mo Salah
Mo Salah is the rising star for Liverpool and is currently worth about US $53 million. Currently he has a deal with Adidas and makes a couple of million from that said deal. He also is collaborating with Pepsi, Vodafone, Uber and Oppo.
Currently, the 30-year-old is the highest paid player in Liverpool. Not sure if Jurgen Klopp is too happy about it. His current contract with the club is valued at $60 million.
Number 4: Neymar
Neymar who is also 30-years-old, is well known to exaggerate his injuries while on field. Some are even accusing him of potentially being the new meme of this year’s World Cup. However, he is currently worth US $87 million.
He made history with his transfer price to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a whopping $263 million. Similar to Mo Salah, he has recurring deals from major brands such as Nike, Puma, Gillete and Red Bull.
Number 3: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, love him or hate him, the 37-year-old is still one of the richest footballers out there. He is currently worth a whopping $100 million. However, that is not a surprise to many due to him being a superstar coupled with him being in the spotlight for more than a decade.
However, the situation he is currently in with Manchester United, and the alleged accusations of them not paying him on time is concerning. In contrast to the other players, Ronaldo also has his own business and he also signed a US $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.
Furthermore, he owns multiple properties that are worth millions on their own. He also has a US $24 million dollar car collection ranging from one of the most expensive car manufacturing brands out there to Audis.
Number 2: Lionel Messi
The 35-year-old Argentianian player, who is always seen in the same ranks as Cristiano Ronaldo and many of their respective fans would fight against each other about these two is worth US $120 million. In addition to Ronaldo, his car collection alone is worth US $50 million.
He currently owns a fashion store and is a hotelier on his own accord. He currently is the ambassador for Pepsi and Budwiser and is making US $25 million from his deal with Adidas annually.
Number 1: Kylian Mbappe
The youngest player in the top 5 richest footballers in the world is the 23-year-old French Paris Saint-Germain player. He is worth a whopping US $128 million. It is surprising as he is richer than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who are both household names in their own right.
He made history by being the youngest player to earn US $100 million in a year. He is the ambassador for the luxury watch maker, Hublot, where a single watch can cost more than six digits. He has also started a production company this year, and we’ll see where it goes.
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