20 Richest Footballers of All Time [Ranked]

Sport is watched by tens of millions around the globe on a daily basis, but none more than football. The beautiful game possesses some of the biggest sportspeople in the world – not least Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are two of the richest footballers of all time. And that’s not entirely down to their career earnings, as off-the-pitch ventures have also lined the pockets of many players of past and present.

Comprised of data from Celebrity Net Worth, so wealthy are the footballers who do feature that the likes of Didier Drogba ($90 million), Frank Lampard ($90 million) and Robert Lewandowski ($85 million) fail to make the cut inside the top 20.

The list below features many that are still plying their trade in the modern age of football, but there are also a fair few that have already hung up their boots (including the legendary Pele, midfielder-turned-manager Zinedine Zidane and former Arsenal and Juventus world-beater Thierry Henry) to have made the grade thanks to their respectively eye-watering net worth. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

10

Ronaldo Nazario

Net Worth: $160m / £118m

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Widely regarded as one of the finest strikers to ever grace the turf is Ronaldo Nazario. The Brazilian – whose career was marred by injury woes – played for Spain’s two biggest clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, while he also featured on either side of the Milan footballing divide. The first Ronaldo to light up the footballing sphere, he was paid handsomely was doing just that.

Affectionately monikered ‘R9’, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner used his immense career earnings to acquire 51% of Real Valladolid – but he recently sold his stake. He also invested a total of $70 million into his boyhood club, Cruzeiro, and would’ve made a pretty penny when he sold his stake in 2024. A poster boy for football in all corners of the globe, too, Ronaldo’s revenue stream remains more than healthy.

9

Wayne Rooney

Net Worth: $170m / £126m

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Wayne Rooney‘s net worth, which currently stands at $170 million (£126m), booms year-on-year. He was Manchester United’s talisman-in-chief between the years of 2004 and 2017 and was often the club’s highest-earning asset given how potent in the final third – and his post-playing career, broken up between managerial stints and his time as a pundit, has also seen him earn plenty of money.

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The eye-watering wealth of Rooney, formerly of Everton and D.C. United, was primarily built during his goal-getting career, but a number of lucrative endorsements with brands such as Nike and Coca-Cola also saw him pocket plenty of cash away from the pitch. For now, he is focusing on his punditry career and has recently launched his own show, ‘The Wayne Rooney Show’, with BBC Sport. Speaking on The Overlap recently, Rooney explained that his biggest pay packet at United was £17 million a year.

8

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Net Worth: $190m / £141m

Swedish journeyman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, owing to his talismanic approach, endured a career all over Europe. He enjoyed stints in Spain, Italy, France, England and the United States of America (to name a few!) and, as you can probably guess, he earned a lofty pay packet wherever he played. That’s most likely thanks to the fact that he struck the back of the net with relative ease.

Ibrahimovic’s made-for-consumption personality, too, meant the former goal-getter – who also landed a successful autobiography deal in 2011 – had no shortage of proposals once he retired from the beautiful game, signing deals with Nike, Microsoft, Xbox, Nivea, Samsung and Volvo. The combination of his career earnings and the money he’s made post-career means that he has a net worth of $190 million (£141m).

7

Karim Benzema

Net Worth: $200m / £148m

Like many fellow professionals, Karim Benzema fell into the lure of the Saudi Pro League and their free-spending power in the summer of 2023 when he left Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad. The 38-year-old Frenchman, who is now in the twilight period of his career, spent the early days of his playing days with Olympique Lyonnais, but he began to earn big bucks following his 2009 move to Los Blancos.

Even while playing in his homeland, there were obvious signs that Benzema, one of the greatest players in the history of Real Madrid, had all the makings of a brilliant striker and, with that, the goals and large salaries followed with ease. By virtue of the fact that he is mopping up the riches on offer in Saudi Arabian football, Benzema’s net worth of $200 million (£148 million) is only poised to grow and grow.

6

Dave Whelan

Net Worth: $210m / £155m

A man that perhaps needs a bit of an introduction given the star-studded nature of this list, Dave Whelan played for the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra in the fifties and sixties – and so you can be forgiven for not recognising the name straight off the bat. Whelan, now 88 years of age and acting as Honorary President of Wigan Athletic, retired at the age of 29 years and made his money elsewhere.

Whelan was at the apex of his footballing powers while playing for First Division sides between the years of 1956 and 1966, but he made the majority of his money, evidenced by his net worth of $210 million (£155m) after focusing on his burgeoning supermarket chain, Whelan discount stores. In a less glamorous line of work compared to playing football, the former defender also moved into the sports retailing space with JJB Sports.

5

Kylian Mbappe

Net Worth: $250m / £185m

With a claim of already being the world’s best footballer, Kylian Mbappe‘s influence transcends football: his sponorship deals with Nike, Hublot and EA Sports, just a few brands that have been keen to work alongside the Paris-born superstar, who is already a one-time World Cup winner with France. He has also won seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG and Monaco but the wait for major silverware with Real Madrid remains.

Given the size and stature of the Santiago Bernabeu outfit and Mbappe’s transcending influence, there is every chance that he will rise up on this list in the coming years – and by the time he hangs up his boots (although that is far in the future), there is every chance that he could be at the summit. For now, the famous speedster boasts a more-than-impressive net worth of $250 million, which equates to £185m.

4

Neymar Jr

Net Worth: $450m / £333m

In terms of raw talent, you’d be hard-pressed to find many better than Neymar Jr, who is still plying his trade for Santos in his homeland of Brazil. The fleet-footed icon first made a name for himself while playing for Santos during his first stint between 2009 and 2013, and it was none other than Barcelona who won the tug-of-war for his signature. From that point onward, Brazil’s top goalscorer was never going to be strapped for cash.

It makes sense that Neymar, whose move from Barcelona to PSG is the most expensive transfer in football history, is among the richest footballers of all time. There’s a compelling case to suggest that he’s the third-best footballer of his generation (behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) and during his spell at Al-Hilal, the 33-year-old was pocketing an eye-watering salary of £129.2 million on a yearly basis.

3

David Beckham – $450m / £333m

Net Worth: $450m / £333m

Incredibly, David Beckham has earned more money post-retirement than he did while he was spraying balls left, right and centre for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Manchester United. Nothing short of a cultural icon thanks to his array of hairstyles, good looks and likeability, Becks has proven his business acumen after calling time on his footballing career while plying his trade in Major League Soccer (MLS).

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Beckham, now 50 years of age, purchased Inter Miami and the club has since gone over $1 billion in value following the high-profile arrival of Messi, thus boosting the former midfielder’s net worth to $450 million (£333m). Alongside his ownership ventures, the ex-England captain has also struck mega-money deals with the likes of Maserati and Adidas. His hit Netflix docuseries would’ve also been a massive moneymaker.

2

Lionel Messi

Net Worth: $850m / £629m

As mentioned, Messi decided to become Inter Miami’s marquee addition in the summer of 2023 after lighting up Europe with his touch-tight dribbling and ridiculous goalscoring rate for Barcelona and PSG. Encapsulating everything joyous about football, the Rosario-born ace’s performances ever since replacing Deco and making his first-team debut at the age of 17 has resulted in him lining his pockets.

Barcelona‘s top goalscorer of all time with a frightening return of 672 strikes in 778 outings, Messi currently boasts a net worth of $850 million (£629m) and that is thanks to him earning top dollar throughout his football career. Not only that, but the record-breaking Argentine has pocketed plenty of cash through endorsements and sponsorship deals – and, at this stage of his career, he is likely to reel in even more money.

1

Cristiano Ronaldo

Net Worth: $1.2bn / £887m

What more needs to be said about Cristiano Ronaldo and his ridiculously-brilliant money-making endeavours? The Portuguese burst on the scene during a pre-season friendly against Manchester United, a club he would later represent across two different spells, and the career that followed is envied by many – especially given that he is now earning £3.49 million-per-week while plying his trade for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo’s superstardom means that companies, from soft drink manufacturers to banks to video games, have queued up to get the 40-year-old on board. Clear Shampoo, DAZN, LiveScore and Panini are just a handful of brands that he works with, while his own company, the CR7 brand, sells apparel and underwear. Ronaldo’s retirement will be a sad day in the world of football, but the revenue streams will only continue to flow for him.

All figures per Celebrity Net Worth – correct as of 24/12/2025