Forbes: Ronaldo continues to lead as the highest earner in 2026
Amman1 min read
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Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, continued to top the list of the world's highest-paid football players for 2026, according to a ranking published by the American magazine "Forbes" on Saturday.
Ronaldo and Argentine Lionel Messi maintained the first and second positions on the list for the fourth consecutive season, and for the twelfth time in the last thirteen seasons, with an expected income of $300 million for the Portuguese star, compared to $145 million for Messi.
According to the American magazine, Ronaldo is expected to earn $250 million from his contract with Al-Nassr, in addition to $50 million from sponsorships and commercial investments, while Senegalese player Sadio Mané of Al-Nassr came in seventh place with expected earnings of $54 million.
"Forbes" estimated the total income of the ten highest-paid players this season at about $942 million, with Ronaldo and Messi alone accounting for nearly half of it.
