Barcelona’s 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has gate-crashed football’s financial elite, landing among Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid players in 2025, topped by Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo tops Forbes’ latest list with a staggering $280 million in earnings this year, maintaining his stranglehold on football’s financial summit 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 had topped the world’s highest-paid athletes list for three consecutive years in May, is inching closer to scoring 1,000 career goals.
His long-time rival Lionel Messi sits second at $130 million, with the 38-year-old Inter Miami forward earning the majority through off-field deals.
Messi’s endorsement portfolio includes Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard, while he also launched a sports drink last year.
ALSO READ: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes football’s first billionaire, worth $1.4 billion: Bloomberg Index
French striker Karim Benzema rounds out the nine-figure earners in third place at $104 million, benefiting from his move to Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe ($95 million) and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland ($80 million) complete the top five — two players tipped to battle for Ballon d’Or supremacy in the coming decade.
Forbes said Yamal has bolstered his sponsor stable by adding Beats by Dre to a portfolio already featuring Adidas, Konami and Powerade, pushing his earnings to $43 million.
The youngster was rewarded with a new Barca contract until 2031 after the club swept the domestic treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.
He also inherited the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by Messi — a symbolic passing of the torch.
Published on Oct 16, 2025
