La Liga has four players among Forbes’ 10 highest-paid footballers for 2026, compared with just one from the Premier League. Real Madrid accounts for three of the Spanish league’s representatives, while the Saudi Pro League leads the rankings by combined earnings.
Forbes’ 2026 ranking of football’s highest-paid players highlights a shift in the financial landscape of the sport. La Liga supplies four of the top 10, while Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is the Premier League’s only representative. It is the first time since Forbes began publishing the ranking in 2005 that England’s top division has placed just one player in the top 10.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé ranks third, with estimated earnings of €89 million for the 2026-27 season. Teammate Vinícius Júnior is fifth on €68 million, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is sixth on €49 million, and Jude Bellingham ranks eighth with €40 million. Haaland sits fourth, with estimated earnings of €76 million.
Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo tops the ranking with €267 million, while Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi is second on €129 million.
La Liga accounts for 29% of top 10 earnings
Forbes estimates that the four La Liga players will earn a combined €246 million this season. That represents around 29% of the €839 million projected for the top 10 as a whole.
The Spanish league’s share becomes more significant when Ronaldo and Messi are excluded. The two veterans account for a combined €396 million, leaving €443 million for the other eight players. La Liga’s four representatives therefore account for 56% of the remaining earnings.
A similar gap appears in on-field income, which includes salaries, bonuses and, in some cases, club-based image-rights agreements. Forbes estimates that the four La Liga players will collect €162 million from these sources, compared with €53 million for Haaland.
By league, the Saudi Pro League ranks first with a combined €315 million from Ronaldo and Sadio Mané, although Ronaldo accounts for most of the total. La Liga is second, followed by MLS, whose €129 million comes entirely from Messi. The Premier League contributes €76 million through Haaland. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane represents the Bundesliga with €37 million, while Mohamed Salah’s €36 million places Trabzonspor’s forward among the top earners representing Türkiye’s Süper Lig.
Salah’s move reshapes the Premier League’s presence
Mohamed Salah’s summer departure from Liverpool to Trabzonspor helps explain the Premier League’s reduced representation. According to Forbes, the Egyptian forward’s two-year deal is worth approximately €17 million per year, alongside a reported 20% royalty on merchandise featuring Salah sold by the club.
His move removed the Premier League’s second representative from the top 10 and made him the ranking’s representative of the Turkish league. England has two players in the top 10, Bellingham and Kane, but neither plays his club football in the country.
Real Madrid’s commercial power
Real Madrid players account for €197 million of the top 10’s combined earnings, more than the Premier League and MLS representatives put together.
Vinícius signed a new six-year contract in August that runs until 2032. His commercial portfolio includes brands such as Fanatics and Hugo Boss. Bellingham is contracted until 2029 and is reportedly in discussions over an extension.
Mbappé’s total could also understate his broader financial position. The French forward ended his partnership with Nike in September and signed a deal with Swiss footwear brand On that reportedly includes equity in the publicly traded company. That stake is not included in Forbes’ €89 million estimate.
At Barcelona, Yamal’s earnings rose from €38 million last year to €49 million this season. Forbes attributes much of the increase to sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and American Eagle. The 19-year-old contributed 16 goals and 12 assists as Barcelona won the 2025-26 La Liga title.
The four La Liga players in the top 10 have an average age of 23.75, giving the league a younger profile than the Saudi Pro League’s two representatives, Ronaldo and Mané. With Mbappé, Haaland and Vinícius increasingly viewed as potential global faces of football’s next era, Real Madrid’s concentration of high-earning stars also strengthens its commercial position.