Yamal among highest-paid players in 2025 in Forbes list topped by Ronaldo

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE OF PLAYERS ON FORBES' TEN HIGHEST PAID SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE YEAR LIST, CRISTIANO RONALDO, LIONEL MESSI, KARIM BENZEMA, KYLIAN MBAPPE, ERLING HAALAND, VINICIUS JR, MOHAMED SALAH, SADIO MANE, JUDE BELLINGHAM, LAMINE YAMAL RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE – AUGUST 22, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. AL NASSR CAPTAIN, CRISTIANO RONALDO, WALKING ACROSS PITCH 2. RONALDO KICKING A BALL 3. RONALDO JOGGING WITH TEAMMATES 4. RONALDO DRIBBLING BALL 5. RONALDO PUTTING ON ORANGE BIB / TEAMMATE SADIO MANE 6. RONALDO IN ORANGE BIB 7. RONALDO, SADIO MANE, AND TEAMMATES WALKING / RONALDO RUNNING OEIRAS, PORTUGAL (FILE – OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 8. CRISTIANO RONALDO CHATTING WITH PORTUGAL TEAMMATE DIOGO DALOT DURING WARM-UPS 9. RONALDO WARMING UP OEIRAS, PORTUGAL (FILE – SEPTEMBER 2, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 10. CRISTIANO RONALDO LOOKING AT TEAMMATES DURING HUDDLE 11. RONALDO JOGGING ONTO PITCH 12. RONALDO JOGGING WITH PORTUGAL TEAMMATES FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (RECENT – JUNE 26, 2025) (STATS PERFORM – Access all) 13. LIONEL MESSI WALKING OUT ALONGSIDE TEAMMATE LUIS SUAREZ FOR INTER MIAMI TRAINING 14. MESSI WARMING UP AMONGST TEAMMATES 15. MESSI DURING RONDO DRILL EZEIZA, ARGENTINA (FILE – JUNE 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 16. MESSI IN CONVERSATION WITH ARGENTINA COACH LIONEL SCALONI 17. VARIOUS OF MESSI GOING THROUGH WARMING UP DRILLS AMONGST TEAMMATES  18. VARIOUS OF MESSI GOING THROUGH WARMING UP & PASSING DRILLS AMONGST TEAMMATES EZEIZA, ARGENTINA (FILE – NOVEMBER 12, 2024) (REUTERS – Access all) 19. VARIOUS OF MESSI (IN BIB) DURING TRAINING MATCH  EZEIZA, ARGENTINA (FILE – NOVEMBER 14, 2023) (REUTERS – Access all) 20. MESSI IN ACTION DURING TRAINING MATCH  21. MESSI JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (FILE – JUNE 8, 2023) (REUTERS – Access. all) 22. VARIOUS OF KARIM BENZEMA WALKING OUT IN AL-ITTIHAD KIT IN FRONT OF FULL KING ABDULLAH STADIUM CROWD AND THANKING THEM 23. BENZEMA HUGGING CHILDREN AS HE LEAVES STAGE 24. BENZEMA SIGNING A BALL & A CHILD’S SHIRT & THROWING BALL INTO THE CROWD 25. BENZEMA THANKING CROWD SAINT-DENIS, FRANCE (FILE – MAY 27, 2022) (REUTERS – Access all) 26. BENZEMA DURING RONDO DRILL 27. VARIOUS OF BENZEMA DURING PRACTICE MATCH MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – OCTOBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 28. REAL MADRID FORWARD, KYLIAN MBAPPE, AND MIDFIELDER JUDE BELLINGHAM TRAINING 29. MBAPPE RUNNING DRILL MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – SEPTEMBER 26, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)  30. MBAPPE RUNNING A DRILL MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – SEPTEMBER 22, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 31. MBAPPE WALKING ACROSS PITCH 32. MBAPPE KICKING BALL WROCLAW, POLAND (FILE – SEPTEMBER 4, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 33. VARIOUS OF FRANCE CAPTAIN, KYLIAN MBAPPE, TRAINING BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (FILE – JUNE 24, 2025) (STATS PERFORM – Access all) 34. MANCHESTER CITY FORWARD, ERLING HAALAND, COMING OUT AND TRAINING 35. HAALAND BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (FILE – JUNE 27, 2025) (STATS PERFORM – Access all) 36. HAALAND WALKING OUT FOR MANCHESTER CITY TRAINING & DOING KEEPIE-UPPIE PASSES WITH PHIL FODEN BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (FILE – JUNE 19, 2025) (STATS PERFORM – Access all) 37. HAALAND STRETCHING WITH TEAMMATES 38. VARIOUS OF HAALAND AT TRAINING MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – SEPTEMBER 22, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 39. REAL MADRID FORWARD, VINICIUS JUNIOR, RUNNING 40. VARIOUS OF VINICIUS JR IN RONDO DRILL MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – OCTOBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 41. VARIOUS OF VINICIUS JUNIOR AT TRAINING LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE – SEPTEMBER 29, 2025) (NICHE MEDIA – Access all) 42. LIVERPOOL FORWARD, MOHAMED SALAH, TALKING TO DOMINICK SZOBOSZLAI AT TRAINING SESSION 43. SALAH THROWING A MEDICINE BALL CHIBA, JAPAN (FILE – JULY 29, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 44. SALAH WALKING PAST AT LIVERPOOL TRAINING 45. SALAH IN MIDDLE CHASING BALL DURING RONDO DRILL LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE – NOVEMBER 26, 2024) (NICHE MEDIA – Access all) 46. SALAH SMILING BEFORE CATCHING MEDICINE BALL CAIRO, EGYPT (FILE – SEPTEMBER 4, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 47. SALAH AT EGYPT TRAINING SESSION LISBON, PORTUGAL (FILE – JUNE 19, 2023) (REUTERS – Access all) 48. SENEGAL FORWARD, SADIO MANE, WARMING UP DAKAR, SENEGAL (FILE – MARCH 23, 2022) (REUTERS – Access All) 49. MANE AT SENEGAL TRAINING DIAMNIADIO, SENEGAL (FILE – OCTOBER 10, 2024) (REUTERS – Access all) 50. MANE AT TRAINING 51. MANE WALKING ACROSS PITCH MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – OCTOBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 52. REAL MADRID MIDFIELDER, JUDE BELLINGHAM, TRAINING MADRID, SPAIN (FILE – SEPTEMBER 26, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)  53. BELLINGHAM STRETCHING 54. BELLINGHAM RUNNING A DRILL SANT JOAN DESPI, SPAIN (FILE – AUGUST 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 55. BARCELONA FORWARD, LAMINE YAMAL, ARRIVING AT TRAINING SESSION 56. YAMAL ON THE PITCH 57. YAMAL SPEAKING WITH BARCELONA COACH, HANSI FLICK 58. YAMAL WALKING ACROSS PITCH AND PUTTING ON BIB 59. YAMAL AT TRAINING BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE – SEPTEMBER 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)  60. VARIOUS OF YAMAL AT BARCELONA TRAINING SANT JOAN DESPI, SPAIN (FILE – AUGUST 22, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 61. YAMAL AT BARCELONA TRAINING SESSION STORY: Barcelona's 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has gate-crashed football's financial elite, landing among Forbes' top 10 highest-paid players in 2025, topped by Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo tops Forbes' latest list with a staggering $280 million in earnings this year, maintaining his stranglehold on football's financial summit after the 40-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward, who became the first footballer to reach billionaire status and had topped the world's highest-paid athletes list for three consecutive years in May, is inching closer to scoring 1,000 career goals. His long-time rival Lionel Messi sits second at $130 million, with the 38-year-old Inter Miami forward earning the majority through off-field deals. Messi's endorsement portfolio includes Adidas, Lay's and Mastercard, while he also launched a sports drink last year. French striker Karim Benzema rounds out the nine-figure earners in third place at $104 million, benefiting from his move to Saudi side Al-Ittihad. Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe ($95 million) and Manchester City's Erling Haaland ($80 million) complete the top five — two players tipped to battle for Ballon d'Or supremacy in the coming decade. But it is teenager Yamal whose meteoric rise threatens to shake up football's established order. The Spanish winger's breakthrough 2024-25 season saw him score 18 goals and register 25 assists across all competitions for Barcelona after helping Spain to European Championship glory. Forbes said Yamal has bolstered his sponsor stable by adding Beats by Dre to a portfolio already featuring Adidas, Konami and Powerade, pushing his earnings to $43 million. The youngster was rewarded with a new Barca contract until 2031 after the club swept the domestic treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. He also inherited the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by Messi — a symbolic passing of the torch. FORBES' 10 HIGHEST-PAID SOCCER PLAYERS IN 2025 1) Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr): $280 million 2) Lionel Messi (Inter Miami): $130 million 3) Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad): $104 million 4) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid): $95 million 5) Erling Haaland (Manchester City): $80 million 6) Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid): $60 million 7) Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): $55 million 8) Sadio Mane (Al-Nassr): $54 million 9) Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid): $44 million 10) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona): $43 million (Production: Kurt Michael Hall)

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