World’s highest-paid football players in 2022 – in pictures

Kylian Mbappé tops the Forbes rich list ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

PSG forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappé
PSG forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappé
(Image credit: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first time since 2014, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo find themselves in “unfamiliar territory” – they no longer hold the title of the world’s highest-paid football player. According to the Forbes list for the 2022-2023 season, Paris Saint-Germain and France striker Kylian Mbappé has taken the top spot, with Messi and Ronaldo in second and third respectively.

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Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.