Top 10 richest male, female footballers in the world
Football, also known as soccer in North America, is one of the most popular sports in the world. It has, over the years, evolved from just a kickabout among friends to a multi-billion dollar industry empowering millions of people across the globe. The major stakeholders in the sport are the footballers who earn quite well more than the average worker, as some of them become stupendously rich and turn into multi-millionaires at the peak of their careers. These individuals have remarkable star power and can virtually purchase anything they want in the world.
This piece, therefore, takes a look at the richest footballers, both in the male and female segments of the beautiful game, and their net worth.
Table of Content hide 1Top 10 richest male footballers globally 1.110. Mesut Özil 1.29. Andrés Iniesta 1.38. Paul Pogba 1.47. Gareth Bale 1.56. Alexandre Pato 1.65. Zlatan Ibrahimovic 1.74. Neymar 1.83. Lionel Messi 1.92. Cristiano Ronaldo 1.101. Faiq Bolkiah 2Richest active Nigerian footballer 3Top richest female footballers globally 3.110. Christine Sinclair 3.29. Samantha Kerr 3.38. Ada Hegerberg 3.47. Julie Ertz 3.56. Megan Rapinoe 3.65. Carli Llyod 3.74. Alex Morgan 3.83. Amandine Henry 3.92. Wendie Renard 3.101. MartaTop 10 richest male footballers globally
The modern football game has not only become prosperous but it is a money-spinner, to the extent that the sport makes the players affluent and has suddenly become one of the choicest careers that parents and guardians, who were hitherto critical of it, encourage their boys to take up.
Following evaluation from various sources, including Celebrity Net Worth, Wealthy Gorilla, Marca and Forbes, we, therefore, present to you the top 10 richest male footballers in the world. All the footballers on this list are active.
10. Mesut Özil
| Age | 33 |
| Club | Fenerbahçe (Turkey) |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Salary | €3.9 million |
| Endorsements | Adidas, Beats Electronics, Mercedes Benz |
| Estimated Net worth | $120 million |
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9. Andrés Iniesta
| Age | 38 |
| Club | Vissel Kobe (Japan) |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Salary | $30 million |
| Endorsements Investment | Nike, Nissan, and NFX.com; Part owner of Albacete Football Team |
| Estimated Net worth | $123 million |
8. Paul Pogba
| Age | 29 |
| Club | Manchester United (England) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Salary | £15.08 million |
| Endorsements | Adidas |
| Vehicles | Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes GLS 4X4, Audi RS6 Power R, Bently Flying Spur, Rolls-Royce Wraith, Maserati Quattroporte, Ferrari 812 Superfast |
| Estimated Net worth | $125 million |
7. Gareth Bale
| Age | 32 |
| Club | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Country of origin | Wales |
| Salary | £31.2 million |
| Endorsements | Adidas, Nissan, Konami, EA Sports, Foot Locker, BT Sport and Lucozade |
| Estimated Net worth | $145 million |
6. Alexandre Pato
| Age | 32 |
| Club | Orlando City FC (USA) |
| Country of origin | Brazil |
| Salary | £1.56 million |
| Endorsements | CoverGirl cosmetics |
| Investment | Chain of burger restaurants, a vodka brand, a fashion line |
| Estimated Net worth | $145 million |
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5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
| Age | 40 |
| Club | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Country of origin | Sweden |
| Salary | €3.5 million |
| Endorsements | Nike, Microsoft Xbox, Nivea, Samsung, and Volvo |
| Investment | Real Estate (three villas) |
| Vehicles | Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi S8, Maserati Gran Turismo, and Volvo C30 T5 |
| Estimated Net worth | $190 million |
4. Neymar
| Age | 30 |
| Club | Paris Saint-Germain (France) |
| Country of origin | Brazil |
| Salary | £40.8 million |
| Endorsements | Puma, Triller, Gillette, L’Oreal, Air Jordan |
| Investment | Clothing brands |
| Vehicles | Ferrari 458 Italia, Maserati Mc12, Aston Martin Vulcan, Audi R8 Spyder V10 Plus, Porsche Panamera Turbo, Lamborghini Veneno |
| Estimated Net worth | $200 million |
3. Lionel Messi
| Age | 34 |
| Club | Paris Saint-Germain (France) |
| Country of origin | Argentina |
| Salary | $41 million |
| Endorsements | Adidas, Pepsi, Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Lays, SikSilk, Leafty, Jacob & Co., Gatorade, NFT partnership |
| Vehicles | Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti and Ferrari F430 Spyder Audi RS6, Audi A7 and Audi Q7 Pagani Zonda Tricolore Mercedes SLS AMG Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale Range Rover Vogue and Range Rover Sport Cadillac Escalade Lexus RX 450h Mini Cooper |
| Estimated Net worth | $400 million |
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2. Cristiano Ronaldo
| Age | 37 |
| Club | Manchester United (England) |
| Country of origin | Portugal |
| Salary | £26.4 million |
| Endorsements | Nike, Tag Heuer, Herbalife, Armani, Egyptian Steel, Italia Independent, Clear, PokerStars, Castrol, LiveScore, MEO, ZujuGP, Crunch, Uniecampus, Therabody and Clear. |
| Investment | Aviation companies, Investments in Apple, Investments in Volkswagen, Pestana CR7 Hotels (two in Portugal), Hair transplant clinic, CR7 Perfumes, CR7 Underwear, Restaurants, CR7 Museum, Gyms, Video games for smartphones |
| Vehicles | Bugatti Chiron, Bugtatti Veyron & Bugatti Centodieci McLaren Senna Rolls-Royce Phantom & Rolls-Royce Cullinan Ferrari 599 GTO, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Ferrari F430 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Flying Spur Aston Martin DB9 Maserati GranCabrio BMW M6 Mercedes G-Class, Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe Porsche Cayenne, Porsche 911 Carrera 2S Cabriole and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Audi Q7 and Audi RS6 Brabus G-Wagon |
| Estimated Net worth | $500 million |
1. Faiq Bolkiah
| Age | 24 |
| Club | Chonburi F.C. (Thailand) |
| Country of origin | Brunei |
| Salary | ——– |
| Endorsements | Nike |
| Estimated Net worth | $20 billion (This is a result of his relationship with the Brunei Royal Family. Fariq is the son of Brunei’s Prince, Jefri Bolkiah; while his uncle, Hassanal is Sultan of Brunei, an oil-rich kingdom.) |
Richest active Nigerian footballer
The richest Nigerian footballer who is still active with the Super Eagles, the country’s senior male national team, is Odion Ighalo.
Ighalo currently plays as a striker for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. His net worth is estimated to be between $32-$40 million.
Top richest female footballers globally
Although there has been an increased interest in female football across the world, it has not attracted much financial firepower and support like the male game. This low investment reflects in the take-home pay of the female footballers. The recent announcement by the US Soccer Federation that it will implement equal pay for both its male and female national teams has been deemed as the long-awaited development needed to boost female football financially.
But even with this disparity, some female footballers are still doing very well financially, irrespective of the circumstances. With this in mind, we, therefore, take a look at the richest female footballers in the world.
10. Christine Sinclair
| Age | 38 |
| Club | Portland Thorns (USA) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Salary | $380,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $2m-$3m |
9. Samantha Kerr
| Age | 28 |
| Club | Chelsea (England) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Salary | $500,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $2.5m-$3m |
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8. Ada Hegerberg
| Age | 26 |
| Club | Olympique Lyonnaise (France) |
| Country of origin | Norway |
| Salary | $425,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $3m |
7. Julie Ertz
| Age | 30 |
| Club | Chicago Red Stars (USA) |
| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Salary | $430,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $3m-$4.5m |
6. Megan Rapinoe
| Age | 36 |
| Club | OL Reign (USA) |
| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Salary | $447,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $3.7m |
5. Carli Llyod
| Age | 39 |
| Club | None |
| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Salary | $518,000 (now retired) |
| Estimated Net worth | $3.3m |
4. Alex Morgan
| Age | 32 |
| Club | San Diego Wave FC (USA) |
| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Salary | $450,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $4m-$4.6m |
3. Amandine Henry
| Age | 32 |
| Club | Olympique Lyonnaise (France) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Salary | $394,500 |
| Estimated Net worth | $7m |
2. Wendie Renard
| Age | 31 |
| Club | Olympique Lyonnaise (France) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Salary | $392,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $10m |
1. Marta
| Age | 36 |
| Club | Orlando Pride (USA) |
| Country of origin | Brazil |
| Salary | $400,000 |
| Estimated Net worth | $13m |
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