Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has surprisingly emerged as the world’s highest-paid football player, according to Forbes magazine becoming the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list in eight years.
Mbappe, 23, is estimated to earn $128 million for the 2022-23 season before agents’ fees, a record for Forbes’ annual rankings, with PSG teammate Messi second at $120m and Manchester United’s Ronaldo ($100m) occupying the third spot.
PSG’s Neymar ($87m) and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah ($53m) rounded off the top five.
Erling Haaland, who has made a blistering start to his Manchester City career after joining the club from Borussia Dortmund this summer, makes his debut in the top 10 with earnings of $39m.
The rise of Mbappe and Haaland, the only players under the age of 30 on the list, signals a shift in the global game, the Forbes report said, as Messi and Ronaldo edge closer to the end of their glorious careers.
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In total, the 10 highest-paid players are expected to collect record earnings worth $652m this season, up 11% from last year’s $585m.
Forbes’ list of highest-paid footballers 2022
1. Kylian Mbappe
2. Lionel Messi
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Neymar
5. Mohamed Salah
6. Erling Haaland
7. Robert Lewandowski
8. Eden Hazard
9. Andres Iniesta
10. Kevin De Bruyne
Meanwhile, Ronaldo scored the 700th club goal of his career as Manchester United came from behind to defeat a stubborn Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner once again had to start the game from the bench, however, manager, Erik ten Hag was forced to hand him an early introduction by an injury to Anthony Martial.
By that time of the game, it was already 1-1 as Antony cancelled out Alex Iwobi’s opener for Everton.
Ronaldo took his chance just before half-time to give United a deserved three points from an error-strewn game by both sides.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the victory takes Ten Hag’s men up to fifth and within nine points of leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
