Andy Warhol once said: “Making money is art.” In today’s modern landscape, footballers are some of the most successful artists in any industry.
The average Premier League player earns considerably more in a week (£50,000) than a typical UK employee will take home over the course of an entire year (£35,000). The economic divide turns into a chasm when considering the elite earners among football’s lofty rich list.
England’s top flight may be the most lucrative on the planet, but clubs from across three different continents can boast some of the highest-paid footballers. Here’s a closer look at the ten players who have mastered the art of making money.
*Statistics via Forbes. Converted from dollars using current exchange rates.
Kevin De Bruyne has struggled with injury issues in recent seasons / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Sadio Mane’s salary took a significant pay-bump after moving to Al Nassr / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages
Mohamed Salah’s salary is bolstered by considerable off-field earnings / Carl Recine/GettyImages
Vinicius Junior is in line to win this year’s Ballon d’Or / Soccrates Images/GettyImages
Erling Haaland has collected the last two Premier League Golden Boots / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Kylian Mbappe sealed a long-awaited move to Real Madrid in the summer / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
Karim Benzema joined Al Ittihad as the reigning Ballon d’Or holder / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages
Neymar made five appearances for Al Hilal before sustaining a season-ending injury / Francois Nel/GettyImages
Lionel Messi earns more off the pitch than on it / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
Cristiano Ronaldo earns more than twice as much as every other footballer on the planet / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages
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