Lamine Yamal is among the highest-paid players in the 2025 list, topped by Ronaldo

Barcelona’s 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has crashed football’s financial elite, landing in Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid players in 2025, led by Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo tops Forbes’ latest list with a staggering $280 million in earnings this year, maintaining his stranglehold on football’s financial pinnacle after the 40-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

The Portuguese forward, who became the first footballer to reach billionaire status and topped the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes for three years in a row in May, is closing in on scoring 1,000 goals in his career.

His old rival Lionel Messi is second with $130 million, with the 38-year-old Inter Miami forward earning the majority through off-the-field deals.

Messi’s endorsement portfolio includes Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard, while he also launched a sports drink last year.

READ ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first football billionaire, worth $1.4 billion: Bloomberg Index

French striker Karim Benzema rounds out the nine-figure earners in third place with $104 million, benefiting from his move to Saudi side Al-Ittihad.

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé ($95 million) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland ($80 million) round out the top five: two players who will battle for Ballon d’Or supremacy over the next decade.

Forbes said Yamal has bolstered his stable of sponsorships by adding Beats by Dre to a portfolio that already includes Adidas, Konami and Powerade, boosting his revenue to $43 million.

The youngster was rewarded with a new Barcelona contract until 2031 after the club lifted the domestic treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

He also inherited the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by Messi – a symbolic passing of the torch.

Published on October 16, 2025