As the FIFA World Cup 2022 draws near, each national team is actively scouting highly skilled, top-tier players. The pay of the world’s best soccer players are at an all-time high, but great talent comes at a price.
To fulfill our curiosity regarding the highest-paid soccer player in 2022, Voetbal Travel analyzed the earnings of over 32,000 active soccer players from 200+ nations and mapped the highest-paid soccer star from each nation.
Kylian Mbappe is the highest-paid soccer player in the world, earning almost $88 million per year. Argentina ranks second with Lionel Messi ($59 million), followed by Brazil with Neymar ($50 million).
With an annual salary of approximately $21 million, Sadio Mané is the highest-paid soccer player in Africa.
Also see: I’m the right person to lead England in Qatar, and a victory against Italy is not “far off” – Southgate
Christiano Ronaldo, who is 37 years old, is the highest-paid soccer player in Portugal, but Eden Hazard is the highest-paid player in Belgium. They are the two highest-paid footballers in Europe with Mbappé.
The South Korean and Asian superstar with the highest salary is Heung-Min Son. PSG has the wealthiest players from six countries, followed by Napoli, Liverpool, and Barcelona, each with four.
The English Premier League is home to the highest-paid athletes in the country (24).
Global Top 5
Voetbal Travel can show that France is in first place. Kylian Mbappé, their highest-paid player, earns $88,359,383 per year, making him the highest-paid soccer player in the world. It is hardly unexpected that this PSG superstar is at the top of the list after earning a record-setting contract this summer. Will Kylian Mbappé one again stun the world with his brilliance and help France win the World Cup in 2022?
Argentina is in second place, with Lionel Messi making $58,782,360 annually and nearly $1 million per week! Despite his advanced age, Messi remains the top player for both his club and his country. Having won the Copa America Cup with his side in 2021 and been awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading scorer, Messi will represent Argentina in Qatar 2022, which is likely to be his final opportunity to win the World Cup.
Third place goes to another South American nation, Brazil, where Neymar earns $50,494,047 every year. Neymar, who made his debut for the Brazil national team at age 18, has been capped 119 times and scored 74 goals for his country.
Christiano Ronaldo, 37, is the highest-paid soccer player in Portugal with a salary of $30,295,524, while Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard is the highest-paid player in Belgium ($29,391,180).
Highest compensated soccer player on each continent
As the two highest-paid soccer players in the world, PSG teammates Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi rated as the highest-paid players in Europe and South America, respectively.
Sadio Mané, widely regarded as one of the best African footballers of all time and Senegal’s all-time leading scorer, is the highest-paid player in Africa! In the most recent transfer window, he moved from Liverpool FC to Bayern Munich, where his new contract guarantees an annual income of $21,382,764.
Sadio Mane
Christian Pulisic of the United States men’s national soccer team is the highest-paid soccer player in North America, receiving an annual salary of $8,817,355 from his club Chelsea.
In 2022, on the opposite side of the globe, Heung-Min Son is named the highest-paid soccer player in Asia. After seven years of playing for Tottenham Spurs in the English Premier League, the South Korean national team captain earns an annual salary of $11,286,213.
Chris Wood, New Zealand’s all-time greatest scorer, has been playing in the English leagues since 2009 and joined Newcastle United this year on a salary of $4,702,589. This makes him the most highly compensated soccer player in Oceania.
Clubs with the nation’s wealthiest athletes
Paris Saint-Germain invites the wealthiest stars from six nations. In addition to paying the top three highest salaries in the world for soccer players, they also have the wealthiest players from Costa Rica, Italy, and Morocco. This is followed by S.S.C. Napoli from the Italian Serie A, Liverpool F.C. from the English Premier League, and FC Barcelona from La Liga for possessing four of the highest-paid soccer players in their respective countries.
The English Premier League has 24 of the highest-paid players in the country, more than the Italian Serie A (18), La Ligue (15), Ligue 1 (12), Saudi Professional League (10) and all other soccer leagues in the world combined.