World's richest footballer: Stars with highest net worths including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Mo Salah

It is no secret that top players earn eye-watering salaries and the money paid out to the footballing elite grows year after year. The emergence of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America as football-keen nations has only added to the amount of cash circulated at the highest level of the game.

With football’s popularity across the globe showing no sign of slowing down, it seems the amount of money stars can earn will only increase. In the modern game, it is not only via club contracts that players earn money either.

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Sponsorship deals and lucrative advertising contracts add millions to the pockets of the world’s elite footballers, topping up their already impressive salaries.

But which footballer is the richest? According to Celebrity Net Worth, here are the world’s richest footballers, excluding retired stars.