Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earned a staggering £218millon over the past 12 months, which is more than any other footballer has ever been paid over the course of a single year.
The 39-year-old currently plys his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, having joined the club back in 2022.
Forbes Magazine have published their annual report on the world’s top 10 highest-paid players.
And Ronaldo sits at the summit, having raked in £218m over the past 12 months – which is twice as more as Lionel Messi, who sits second on the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earned a staggering £218millon over the past 12 months, which is more than any other footballer has ever been paid over the course of a single year.
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Ronaldo is paid a massive £170m by Al-Nassr, having paved the way for other superstars to move to Saudi Arabia nearly two years ago.
And he also pocketed a cool £49m from various sponsorship deals, too.
Ronaldo has his own hotel chain named Pestana CR7, while his CR7 brand that also sells clothing, eyewear, footwear and aftershave is also popular.
Messi earns £103m from Inter Miami by comparison, though also earns £57m fron his sponsorship deals.
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Neymar and Karim Benzema, who also play in Saudi Arabia, make up the rest of the top four.
Al-Hilal star Neymar, who has struggled with injuries since his move to the Middle East in 2023, earned £84m – with Al-Ittihad forward Benzema pocketing £79m.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr team-mate, Sadio Mane, makes the cut too.
Just three Premier League players are included on the list, with Erling Haaland pocketing £45m amid his impressive performances for Manchester City.
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Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, of Liverpool and City, are included.
Regarding LaLiga players, who have previously dominated the list, Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are the only two to feature on the list.
Mbappe joined Real back in the summer and has since made a solid, if unspectacular, start to life in his new surroundings.
Vinicius Jr is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, having propelled Los Blancos to Champions League glory earlier in the year.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi to become the highest-paid player in world football
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Meanwhile, regarding Ronaldo, a pitch invader has insisted he would ‘do it all again’ after running onto the pitch during Portugal’s recent draw with Scotland.
Hawdin Ezzat disrupted play as he raced onto the field to take a snap with Ronaldo.
And he’s insisted he’s got no regrets, telling The Sun: I had been waiting for that moment my whole life. It finally happened, even though it’s not exactly what I wanted.
“For many people, it might not have been a big deal. But for me, it was a historic night.
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to produce the goods for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia
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“After hearing Scotland would be playing Portugal in the Nations League, I knew Cristiano Ronaldo would be coming to Scotland.
“I planned to go on the pitch. I didn’t even ask myself what would happen if I did.”