Forbes magazine has predicted that Kylian Mbappé, star of Paris Saint-Germain, will be the highest-paid player this season when considering his salary with the club and his earnings from endorsements. The French forward, who was a world champion in 2018 with his national team, is expected to earn $128 million before taxes and agent fees, a record figure in football according to the specialized magazine.
For the first time since 2014, Argentine Lionel Messi, Mbappé’s teammate at PSG and second on the list with $120 million, and his perennial rival, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), third with $100 million, will not hold the top spot among the richest football players.
Messi and Ronaldo each surpassed the annual income of $100 million for the first time in 2018 when they turned 30. However, Mbappé has reached this figure at just 23 years old.
Another PSG star, Brazilian Neymar, ranked fourth on the list with $87 million, while Egyptian and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah advanced to fifth place with $53 million, following the renewal of his contract with "the Reds" last summer, making him the highest-paid player in Liverpool's history at £18 million annually.
Positions six to ten are filled by Erling Haaland ($39 million), Robert Lewandowski ($35 million), Eden Hazard ($31 million), Andrés Iniesta ($30 million), and Kevin De Bruyne ($29 million) respectively.
