Although Real initially insisted that the transfer cost €91.59 million, slightly less than the Ronaldo fee, the deal was widely reported to be around €100 million (around £85.1 million). RELATED: 10 Members Of The United States Women's National Soccer Team With The Highest Net Worth . Lionel Messi takes the top spot on Forbes' 2019 list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Contract: Three years, $24 million (€21.2 million) annually. All of the players on the list are of European (UEFA), South American (CONMEBOL), North America (CONCACAF) and African (CAF) origin. The transfer fee has not been disclosed. [87], The first player from outside Great Britain to break the record was Bernabé Ferreyra, a player known as La Fiera for his powerful shot. The Gazette Review is your daily news source covering everything from world news to personal finance.We provide the most recent, unbiased accounts of the news that matters to you.Contact us: editor@gazettereview.com, Steve Aoki Net Worth in 2018 – How Rich is Steve Aoki, Belgium: Health Minister Warns of ‘Tsunami’ of New Infections, WWE Draft: Surprising Moves, Tag Team Changes, and More, Czech Republic: Government Announces New Lockdown. He plays with the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer and has endorsement deals with adidas and Weet-Bix, among others. Wayne Rooney is both the forward and captain of two football clubs and still has an ongoing contract with Manchester United that will end in 2019 which is worth $105 million. He was crowned as among the best soccer players in the world, a very marketable athlete, and as one of the most famous athletes on a global scale. It didn’t qualify. His Juventus jersey made over $60 million (€53 million) with 520,000 sales within 24 hours. In 2018, Bale scored two goals off the bench to lead Real Madrid to its third straight UEFA Champions League victory. Contract: Five years, $350 million (€309.4 million). The current list of the highest-paid soccer players will look slightly different than it did heading into 2020, most notably due to the economic implications of COVID-19. Neymar signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid back in 2009 for a world record fee and he became the highest paid player in the world when he signed new 5 year deal with Real Madrid back in 2016 and that will keep him at Madrid until 2021. * Wales didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Eden Hazard – $22 million. There are millions of players globally who play soccer, and those who kick the ball in the big leagues are celebrities with massive fanbases and lucrative sponsorship deals. The controversial Uruguayan striker commands a salary of $18 million. While many soccer players still earn very little money in the lower leagues, within this article, we will be focusing on those who are able to earn the big bucks, ranking the 10 highest paid soccer players in the sport right now. He scored just six goals and had five assists in 37 appearances in his first full season as he struggled with injuries. Initial fee of £56 million with reported performance related bonuses of £9 million. Suarez’ contract still has four years left, up to 2019, and he is reported to receive a weekly salary of $290 thousand. The following is a list of most expensive men's association football transfers, which details the highest transfer fees ever paid for players, as well as transfers which set new world transfer records.The first recorded record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893 (equivalent to £11,000 today). [87][95] The transfer prompted the BBC to ask "has the world gone mad"? ", "Why Real Madrid think that even €100m for Gareth Bale is not silly money", "Gareth Bale contract leak sparks panic at Real Madrid", "When Falkirk broke the world transfer record", "The History of the World Transfer Record", "Factbox – Evolution of world record transfer deals since 1893", "Newcastle United Pays Record $23 Million for Sheare", "Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Q&A of £80m deal between Real Madrid and Manchester United", "Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Spurs in £85m world record deal", "Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Tottenham for a world record fee of £86m", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_most_expensive_association_football_transfers&oldid=984191948, Association football records and statistics, Articles needing cleanup from August 2017, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from August 2017, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from August 2017, Articles that may contain original research from July 2018, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 October 2020, at 18:55. Contract: Five years, $20 million annually (€17.7 million). The first recorded record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893[1] (equivalent to £11,000 today). since. What can you say about their eye-watering earnings? The lucrative deal quadrupled his weekly take-home pay. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial salary reductions at many European clubs as well as dips in players… Without a doubt these deals bring Messi an additional $10 million to his $51 million salary. The young Neymar Jr. has already earned critical acclaim from fans and the media due to his remarkable abilities and accomplishments. He and his rival Messi are the top one and two names in the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes in the last 12 months. He’s made quite an impact on Real Madrid, though, and continues to be a major player in the sport. His 1932 transfer from Tigre to River Plate cost £23k,[89] and the record would last for 17 years (the longest the record has lasted) until it was broken by Manchester United's sale of Johnny Morris to Derby County for £24k in March 1949. After nine years with Real Madrid, Ronaldo signed a four-year deal with Juventus in 2018. p. 31. In the space of 61 days in 1992,[89] three transfers broke the record,[87] all by Italian clubs: Jean-Pierre Papin transferred from Marseille to A.C. Milan, becoming the first ever £10m player. On loan since 2017, permanent move in July 2018, Initial £105 million plus reported £37 million bonuses, Initial €105 million plus reported €40 million bonuses, Fee was to be paid over time with an initial €105 million, plus another €5 million in additional bonuses; Pogba's agent, Initial £89 million plus reported £60 million bonuses. Sergio “Kun” Aguero of the Argentina National Football Team and Manchester City recently scored his 100th goal in the Premier League last April 19, 2016. Falcao was once seen as one of the best strikers in the sport until a grievous injury last 2014 not only put him out of the World Cup but also changed his form. He signed a $2.8 million deal with Nike that will last until 2019. Iniesta spent 22 years with Barcelona, including three as captain, before retiring from the national side and joining Japan's Vissel Kobe in 2018. Without further ado here are your top ten highest paid soccer players with their earnings: Eden Michael Hazard has signed a five year deal with Chelsea in January last year which will ensure him around $16 million until the contract expires. [86][87], It was not until 1928 that the first five-figure transfer took place. (2013). David Jack of Bolton Wanderers was the subject of interest from Arsenal, and in order to negotiate the fee down, Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman got the Bolton representatives drunk. His other recent sponsorship deals include Lotus Bakeries in promotion of their Biscoff biscuits, and trading card manufacturer Topps in their Match Attax card game. [87][103] In 2016, Manchester United eventually took the record away from Real Madrid, signing French midfielder Paul Pogba for €105 million (£89 million),[104] four years after having released him to Juventus for training compensation. Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona in 2017 that keeps him in the Spanish club through 2021. He joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan in 2017 and signed a contract with the team in 2018. Read more: Neymar's move to PSG will cost the French soccer giant more than $500 million, Contract: 4 years, $64 million (€56.5 million) annually. Where he lands next is yet to be seen. Mbappe became the youngest French player at 19 years old to score in a World Cup and second-youngest in a World Cup Final in 2018. With a salary of $17 million and endorsements that rake in more or less $7 million, Aguero has been ranked as the 45th highest-paid athlete by Forbes. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. This added a $9 million advance with royalties to his pocket. The forward donated his $500,000 (€442,000) World Cup bonus to a charity that organizes sporting events for disabled children. Ezequiel Lavezzi Each makes more than $25 million. Contract: Five years, $15 million (€13.3 million) annually.