Forbes 2024: Salah and Mané are Africa's highest-paid footballers

No surprises here. The annual ranking of the highest-paid footballers, published by magazine Forbes on Thursday, once again names Cristiano Ronaldo as the best-paid player on the planet. Thanks to a huge contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the Portugal forward earned a total of 285 million dollars in 2024, including 220 million from his salary and 65 million from endorsement deals with giants such as Nike and Binance. It is a financial dominance that reflects the pull of the Saudi Pro League, which is attracting more and more international stars.

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Behind Ronaldo comes his eternal rival Lionel Messi on 135 million dollars, largely thanks to his sponsorship deals, notably with Adidas and Apple, since his arrival at Inter Miami. Neymar, who left Paris Saint-Germain to join Al-Hilal, completes the podium with 110 million dollars.

Salah and Mané: Africa's leading names

Two Africans make the prestigious top 10: the inseparable Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané. Liverpool's Egyptian winger sits in eighth place with 53 million dollars. Salah, who is also the highest-paid African footballer, saw his earnings split between 35 million dollars in salary at the Reds and 18 million from endorsement deals with brands such as Pepsi and Adidas, showing that his influence on and off the pitch continues to grow.

His former Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mané, now at Al-Nassr, earned 52 million dollars in 2024, ranking just behind the Pharaoh. Most of his income comes from his Saudi contract, with a salary of 48 million, but only 4 million from endorsements, illustrating a marked difference in their respective commercial strategies.

The economic power of the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League's role in this ranking has become impossible to ignore. Besides Ronaldo and Mané, several other stars such as Karim Benzema and Neymar have joined this booming league. These signings, bankrolled with millions, are shifting the economic balance of world football, drawing players to the Gulf with salary offers rarely matched in Europe.

The ranking of the 10 highest-paid footballers

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 285 million
2. Lionel Messi: 135 million
3. Neymar: 110 million
4. Karim Benzema: 104 million
5. Kylian Mbappé: 90 million
6. Erling Haaland: 60 million
7. Vinicius Jr.: 55 million
8. Mohamed Salah: 53 million
9. Sadio Mané: 52 million
10. Kevin De Bruyne: 39 million