The 2026 World Cup, organized this year in the USA, Canada and Mexico, concludes tonight with the grand final between Spain and Argentina.
Among the “duels” that will stand out, will be his Lamine Yamal of Spain with Lionel Messi of Argentina. Apart from the fact that these are two footballers with an identical way of playing, for many their rivalry has taken on the characteristics of a succession.
The two footballers, in fact, are also ranked in the relevant list compiled by the Forbes with the highest paid footballers of the World Cup. According to the medium, the 11 highest-paid footballers participating in the competition are expected to collect a total income of around 950 million dollars within the last twelve months, taking into account both their contracts and their commercial partnerships.
World Cup 2026: The highest paid footballers
At the top of the list is Cristiano Ronaldo with an estimated annual income of $300 million. The 41-year-old Portugal captain remains the world’s highest-paid athlete, with Forbes now worth more than $1.2 billion, making him one of the few active athletes to achieve billionaire status.
In second place is Lionel Messi with 140 million dollars. The Argentina captain, who is defending his title in 2022, has also entered the Forbes billionaires list, with an estimated fortune of $1.1 billion. This year’s World Cup is the sixth of his career, tying the relevant record of appearances.
The top three is completed by Kylian Mbappe with revenues of 95 million dollars, followed by Erling Haaland (80 million) and Vinicius Jr. (60 million). The list also includes Mohamed Salah (55 million), o Sadio Mane (54 million), o Jude Bellingham (44 million), o Lamine Yamal (43 million), o Harry Kane (41 million) and Neymar (38 million).
Forbes concludes that the amounts include both earnings from their clubs and income from advertising contracts, sponsorships, commercial partnerships and other business activities.
Source: Lifo
