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#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - $500 million
Cristiano Ronaldo has redefined football ever since bursting into the spotlight with a move to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time and has shown no signs of slowing down with age.
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At the time of writing, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards and is the joint-highest goal scorer of all-time in international football. The Juventus star has also won the Champions League on five separate occasions, while also lifting the Euro Championship (2016) and the UEFA Nations League (2018) trophies with Portugal.
Ronaldo enjoys a sparkling life outside of football too. He is essentially never away from the spotlight and has endorsed several brands over the years. Some of the notable brands he promotes are Nike, Herbalife and Clear Shampoo.
It is reported that Ronaldo agreed a lifetime deal with Nike in 2016 worth $1 billion and received a signing bonus of $100m. Many people believe Ronaldo could soon enter the $1 billion club in terms of net worth considering the profile of his individual brands and businesses.
#2 Lionel Messi - $600 million
Lionel Messi has enjoyed significant gains in his net worth over the last 12 months. The Argentine stood fourth with $400m last year, but he has jumped to second-place now.
In addition to earning close to $40m per year after taxes on his new PSG contract, Messi also has several brand endorsements. Since 2006, Messi has been sponsored by Adidas. He is the brand's leading endorser and has a lifetime agreement with the sportswear manufacturer.
Messi also appeared on the cover of the Pro Evolution Soccer video game for three straight years from 2009 to 2011, helping developers with trailers and motion capturing too.
Following his high-profile move to PSG, Messi could land further endorsements from sponsors associated with the club. As such, the talismanic forward is only expected to expand his assets over time.
#1 Faiq Bolkiah - $20 billion
Due to his lineage, Faiq Bolkiah continues to remain the footballer with the highest net worth in the world. The 23-year-old is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, the Prince of Brunei, and nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, who is the current Sultan of Brunei.
Back in 2019, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with Southampton's youth academy. However, the midfielder failed to break into the first team at the club. Since leaving the Saints, Bolkiah has had stints with youth teams at Arsenal and Chelsea.
Notably, he signed his first professional contract at Leicester City, where he was contracted until 2020. After leaving the Foxes without making an appearance at senior level, Bolkiah joined Maritimo from Portugal on a free transfer.
The captain of the Brunei national team, Bolkiah is currently plying his trade for the reserve team at Maritimo. Despite not enjoying the best of success in professional football, Bolkiah's status as numero uno among footballers in terms of net worth will remain undisputed for a long time.
