Football – a very lucrative sport. millions of dollars ride in the form of brand sponsorships and broadcasting rights across national leagues and international levels. Its worldwide fan-following dwarfs all other active sports. Subsequently, many of its players are often seen as demigods in some regions.
The TV broadcast rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup alone amount to USD 2.64 billion and the total prize pool is USD 440 million — up from USD 400 million in 2018.
The 2022 edition of the tournament in Qatar is the most expensive in the history of football. As per a report by Forbes, Qatar spent USD 220 billion in the 12 years since it was selected in 2010 as the host of the World Cup on infrastructure and related developments. The figure is more than 15 times the amount Russia spent for the 2018 edition.
Expensive is football so as are footballers. Here we bring you list of Top 5 Richest Footballers In The World.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese is not just a legend of the game, but also a business tycoon. He has sponsorship deals with Nike, ZTE, KFC, Samsung and many other multi-national brands.
CR7 is a brand himself and owns a luxury clothing and accessories line. He also has an impressive hospitality and hotel chain called CR7 Pestana. His net worth is close to $500 million (£423m).
2. Faiq Bolkiah
Faiq Bolkiah – son of the Prince of Brunei – with an estimated worth of $20 billion (£16.9bn), is in a league of his own and the richest footballer on the planet
The skipper of the Brunei nation team belongs to one of the wealthiest families in the world. His father, Jefri Bolkiah, is the Prince of Brunei and his uncle Hassanal is the Sultan or monarch of the country.
The 24-year-old spent his formative years at the academies of Southampton, Chelsea, and Leicester City. However, after failing to find a place for himself in senior squads with Premier League outfits, he joined Maritimo in Portugal in 2020. After spending a year there, he joined Chonburi in Thailand. In the Thai league, he has made 14 appearances and has four assists to his name.
3. David Beckham
The England international might have retired from the sport quite some time ago, but he continues to be a global superstar. He is the co-owner of MLS side Inter Miami and continues to be the brand ambassador of H&M, Adidas, Diageo, and L’Oreal, to name a few.
According to the Sun , Beckham earned around £29 million in dividends from his company DB Ventures Limited over the course of 2016 and 2017, meaning that he earned roughly £40,000 a day during that period.
Documents filed at Companies House showed that Beckham was paid a dividend of £18.75m in 2017 from his company DB Ventures Limited, having previously received a £10.2m dividend in 2016. His net worth is estimated to be around $400 million (£338m).
4. Lionel Messi
Messi might be earning more with PSG than Ronaldo pulls in at Manchester United. But the Argentine falls behind his professional rival in the net worth index. Like Ronaldo, he also has his own clothing line, the Messi store, which he inaugurated in 2019 in Barcelona. He is the owner of the MiM hotel chain, a premium brand where Messi invested around £26m in 2017. The player also has a lifetime contract with Adidas and endorses several other brands like Pepsi, MasterCard, and Budweiser. His net worth is around $400 million (£38
5. Mathieu Flamini
The former Arsenal midfielder might not be counted as the greatest in the sport, but he has done exceptionally well when it comes to secondary innings as an entrepreneur.
He is the co-founder of GF Biochemicals, a leading producer of levulinic acids and derivatives. It is headquartered in Italy and has a presence in the Netherlands. His partner in the company is Pasquale Granata.
Flamini’s net worth is above $10 billion (£8.5bn).
Here ends our list of Top 5 Richest Footballers In The World.
2 Comments on “Top 5 Richest Footballers In The World”