Forbes has released the list of highest-earning players of the 2021/22 season, with Cristiano Ronaldo surpassing long time rival Lionel Messi as the world’s highest-paid football player.

Ronaldo will earn $125 million before taxes in the campaign, with $70 million coming from salary and bonus. The earnings were boosted by his recent transfer to Manchester United from Juventus.

Messi follows in second with a total of $110m while Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah rounds out the top five.

In total, the top ten highest-paid players will collect pretax earnings of $585 million this season, up from last year’s $570 million.

Forbes’ top 10 highest earners in football

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