Kylian Mbappe tops Forbes’ football rich list for first time, above Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Kylian Mbappe is now football’s highest earner, according to a new report from Forbes.

The 23-year-old France international was believed to be close to a free transfer move to Real Madrid this summer, but instead signed a new deal to stay with Paris Saint-Germain until 2025.

There were reports that PSG’s Qatari owners were determined not to lose their star French player and it appears they pulled out all the financial stops in order to persuade him to remain at Parc des Princes.

The news organisation claims that the former Monaco striker will earn around $128m this season, before any agents’ fees and tax payments, making him the highest-paid player in the world.

The report claims that Mbappe earns $110m from a combination of wages and his signing-on fee, and another $18m is due from his commercial deals including sponsors Nike, Dior, Hublot, Oakley and Panini.

In recent years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappe’s PSG team-mate Lionel Messi had occupied the top two spots, but the United striker is now third, with Messi second.

Ronaldo is expected to pick up $100m, with his $60m in endorsements making him the top earner off the pitch, while Messi is expected to secure $55m in wages and the same again in sponsorship.

The top 10 players are due to earn a collective $652m this season, which is an increase from $585m last term.

Manchester City’s new striker Erling Haaland is expected to earn $39m in total this season. His new team-mate at the Etihad, Kevin De Bruyne, is 10th on the list with estimated earnings of $29m, and there is a surprise inclusion for Vissel Kobe’s Andres Iniesta at No. 8 with earnings of $31m.

Top 10 highest-paid football players for 2022/23 season

• 1. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) – $128m
• 2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – $110m
• 3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) – $100m
• 4. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) – $87m
• 5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – $53m
• 6. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – $39m
• 7. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) $35m
• 8. Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) $31m
• 9. Andres Iniesta (Vissel Kobe) $25m
• 10. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) $29m