American magazine "Forbes" published a list of the highest-earning football players of 2021. The Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently transferred to Manchester United, surpassed the Argentinian Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain, who previously held the top spot. The magazine compiled the list by calculating each player's base salary, in addition to other sources of income such as endorsements, marketing campaigns, merchandise sales, and earnings from social media.
The list of the highest-earning players in 2021 is as follows:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - £91.5 million
2. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) - £80.5 million
3. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) - £69.5 million
4. Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) - £31.5 million
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - £30 million
6. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - £26 million
7. Andrés Iniesta (Vissel Kobe) - £26 million
8. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) - £25 million
9. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) - £23.5 million
10. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) - £21 million
