Every year, Forbes unveils its most anticipated rankings, namely that of the highest paid athlete on the planet and that of the most valuable football clubs in the world. As for the first, it is again Cristiano Ronaldo who took his place on the throne. Benefiting from an extraordinary salary in Saudi Arabia (€200 million/year), the Portuguese is the highest paid athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year with a total of €257 million collected in one year.
Football is very well represented in this ranking since the other football legend, Lionel Messi, ranks in third place with an annual income of €120 million for Miami. Finally, a Frenchman shows up in Forbes’ top 10, but it’s not Kylian Mbappé. This is Karim Benzema. The Lyonnais (8th) also takes advantage of his presence in the Saudi Pro League to generate XXL income of €89 million annually.
Benzema and PSG represent France
Let’s move on to the clubs now. Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid remains the most valuable club in the world (8.15 billion euros). The Merengues have just completed two seasons without major trophies, but they remain a major institution. Second in the ranking, FC Barcelona is estimated at 6.4 billion euros. The Blaugranas are gradually recovering financially and the club’s valuation will undoubtedly only increase with the imminent end of work on the renovation of the Camp Nou and a summer transfer window which promises to be incredible with Anthony Gordon and the potential arrivals of Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva.
Manchester United completes the podium (6.1 billion euros) and confirms year after year the financial power of its brand, despite mixed seasons. The signing of a new record sponsorship contract for its training tunics confirms this. Reigning European champion and candidate for its own succession, Paris Saint-Germain is in fifth place (4.9 billion euros). The capital club is also the only French team present in the top 30 of Forbes. Finally, note the rise in power of several Major League Soccer clubs such as Inter Miami (17th, 1.15 billion euros) and Los Angeles FC (18th, 1.13 billion euros) which are placed ahead of several renowned European teams such as Newcastle, Benfica and AS Roma.
Top 10 most valuable clubs in the world:
Real Madrid: 8.15 billion euros
FC Barcelona: 6.4 billion euros
Manchester United: 6.1 billion euros
Liverpool: 5.3 billion euros
PSG: 4.9 billion euros
Bayern Munich: 4.8 billion euros
Manchester City: 4.7 billion euros
Arsenal: 4.6 billion euros
Chelsea: 3.6 billion euros
Tottenham: 2.5 billion euros
