A recurrent question is whether football players are paid too much money. The beautiful game has always been a money-making machine, and the amount of money that teams can give their finest players appears to be increasing with time. However, the biggest and brightest celebrities continue to receive top dollar.
It’s not just about salary; footballers, particularly those with a global presence in all aspects of life, are more likely to earn money through other means. This includes, but is not limited to, endorsements and sponsorship agreements with some of the world’s most prominent companies.
Football unifies like-minded people more than any other sport in the world, and the finances are frequently mind-boggling – but who are the richest footballers, according to their net worth? According to The Sun, Riyad Mahrez and Erling Haaland were unfortunate to miss out, but the top ten richest players, all of whom are still active, have been revealed.
10Robert Lewandowski – £63m
If you ask the ordinary football fan to list the top strikers of the current generation, Robert Lewandowski will almost certainly be mentioned. The Pole has scored numerous goals for any club fortunate enough to have his services, including Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – and the money has surely followed.
Now 37 years old, he leads the queue for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. His clinical style in the final third, along with his intelligent movement, earns him one of the club’s top salaries, but the serial goal-scorer is not surprised. He’s been one of football’s highest-paid players for years.
9Mohamed Salah – £66m
Mohamed Salah has mastered the art of scoring goals in the Premier competition, which is widely regarded as the toughest competition in the world. The Egyptian, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, has scored an alarming number of goals since going to England, and his tremendous riches is the result of a mix of off-field endorsements and a lucrative contract.
Salah currently earns roughly £400,000 per week, placing him among the highest-paid players in the world. The fact that England’s top flight is one of the richest in the world, and Salah is one of the division’s poster boys, is a match made in heaven, with a net worth of £66 million.
8Antoine Griezmann – £67m
Atletico Madrid has always battled to stand out from the crowd, with any success being overshadowed by Spain’s two main clubs: rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona – but Los Colchonero’s Antoine Griezmann has cracked the code. At the time of writing, his net worth is £67 million.
Griezmann, a World Cup champion, was unsuccessful during his brief spell at Barcelona, but his return to Diego Simeone’s wing in the Spanish capital has regained his reputation as one of the finest in the business. As a result, more endorsement deals are being signed, and brands are lining up to collaborate with the popular Frenchman.
7Son Heung-min – £75m
Son Heung-min, a true idol in Tottenham Hotspur circles, left in the summer of 2025 to become the most expensive player in MLS history. Linking up with ex-teammate Hugo Lloris at Los Angeles FC, Son’s impact extends beyond the football ground and into a massive football market – Asia.
The winger, like many others on this list, is attempting to promote his brand at every opportunity. He’s been sponsored by Adidas since the early days of his superstardom with Bayer Leverkusen, and it only expanded to new heights when he relocated to England in the summer of 2015. His ability in front of the goal has always earned him a good salary.
6Paul Pogba – £93m
Paul Pogba, a world-renowned footballer, may have struggled to light up Old Trafford, but there was a time when he easily controlled Juventus’ midfield and was regarded as one of the best central midfielders available. He was not only extremely skilled, but also highly marketable, as seen by his £93 million net worth.
This is after missing 18 months of football after serving a four-year suspension. Returning to his motherland to play for Monaco could be one of the best decisions the classy engine room operator has made in years, and if he hits the ground running, he has a chance to move up the list.
5Karim Benzema – £150m
Introducing the top five richest footballers, beginning with Karim Benzema, widely regarded as one of the finest attackers in football history. The Frenchman is currently the fifth-richest footballer, thanks partly to his lucrative, long-term contracts and generous pay packages, with a net worth of £150 million. Given that he is raking in Saudi Arabia’s riches, this figure is only going to rise.
After finishing his European career in 2023, Benzema joined Al-Ittihad and hasn’t looked back. Since breaking through as a kid at Olympique Lyonnais, he was always destined to score an insane quantity of goals and fill his pockets with cash. He has been able to do both for years, which is relatively simple.
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