The 12 Most Successful Footballers of Our Time

Football is the most popular and sought-after sport in the world. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, and players who succeed at the highest level are paid very well.

The richest footballers in the world earn millions of dollars a year, and some have even amassed fortunes in the billions of dollars. Some of the richest footballers and former players in the world also own businesses or other sources of income. In this article, we will explore 12 of the wealthiest footballers of today – both current and retired. As a bonus, we can recommend the European casino for UK players where you are sure to find something to your liking.

List of Football Stars

According to the available public data, the list of 12 most successful and wealthy footballers of our time looks like this:

12. Alesandre Pato – $145 million

11. Ronaldo Luis Nazario – $160 million

10. Wayne Rooney – $170 million

9. Kylian Mbappé – $180 million

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – $190 million

7. Neymar – $200 million

6. Dave Whelan – $210 million

5. David Beckham – $450 million

4. Cristiano Ronaldo – $500 million

3. Lionel Messi – $600 million

2. Mathieu Flamini – $14 billion

1. Faiq Bolkiah – $20 billion

Now let’s take a closer look at the members of this list.

12. Alexandre Pato

Pato playing for Milan
Credit Jan S0L0 via Wikipedia
  • Estimated Wealth: $145 million
  • Club: São Paulo

Alexandre Pato plays for São Paulo at the striker position. The player is known for his pace, dribbling and efficiency. Pato started his career at Internacional, where he won the Libertadores Cup and the Club World Cup in 2006. Pato has also played for Corinthians, São Paulo, Villarreal, Chelsea, Tianjin Quanjiang and Orlando City. He played 27 games for the Brazilian national team, scoring 10 goals.

11. Ronaldo Luíz Nazário

  • Estimated Wealth: $160 million
  • Club: Retired

Ronaldo Luíz Nazário de Lima, better known as Ronaldo, is a retired footballer and successful businessman. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. During his illustrious football career, Ronaldo set many records and amassed a considerable fortune. At the age of 21, he became the most expensive player in football history and the youngest Ballon d’Or winner – a record that still stands to this day.

The businessman has served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme since 2000, using his fame and influence to positively impact various humanitarian causes. In 2021, Ronaldo bought 90 per cent of SAF Cruzeiro.

Ronaldo Nazário is one of the major names in the history of Brazilian football and sports. Besides playing for the major clubs of his time, being one of the highest paid athletes, he has also signed great contracts with brands such as Nike. He currently owns marketing companies and is the main shareholder of Real Valladolid in Spain.

10. Wayne Rooney

  • Estimated Wealth: $170 million
  • Club: Coach of DC United from the United States

Wayne Rooney is an outstanding English striker who has now finished his career and is now a coach. Rooney is considered one of the best players in the history of the Premier League and England.

Rooney won 13 trophies with Manchester United, including five Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League title and one Club World Cup. The former star will end his career in professional football in 2021.

9. Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappe France
Credit canno73 via Bigstockphoto
  • Estimated Wealth: $180 million
  • Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Kylian Mbappé is a famous young French footballer, a striker at Paris Saint-Germain club and a striker for the French national team. The player is considered by many to be one of the best players in the world and one of the brightest young players of his generation. Mbappé has won 4 Ligue 1 titles, 3 French Cup titles and 2 League Cup titles with PSG, as well as the Golden Boot award in Ligue 1 in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons.

Mbappé played 21 games for France and scored 17 goals. He helped France win the 2018 FIFA World Cup and was named the tournament’s best young player.

8. Zlatan Ibrahimović

  • Estimated Wealth: $190 million
  • Club: Retired

Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović has played for Barcelona, Inter, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy and AC Milan. Ibrahimović has won 33 trophies in his career, including 11 league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one Club World Cup title. Zlatan helped Sweden qualify for the World Cup in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2018.

7. Neymar Jr.

  • Estimated Wealth: $200 million
  • Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer, a striker for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian national team. With Barcelona, he won two La Liga titles, three Spanish Cup titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2015. Neymar also helped Brazil win an Olympic gold medal in 2016 and the America’s Cup in 2019.

His move from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 for €222 million was the biggest in football history. Due to his media potential, he also has numerous advertising deals and is also one of the most popular players on Instagram with almost 190 million fans.

6. Dave Whelan

  • Estimated Wealth: $210 million
  • Club: Retired

Dave Whelan is a retired footballer who played in the striker position. The businessman was born in Bradford, England on 24 November 1936. During his career he played for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. The Englishman won the Football League Northern Third Division title with Blackburn Rovers in the 1959-60 season. Whelan retired from professional football in 1966. His net worth is $210 million.

He was not particularly famous in football at the time he played, due to a broken leg, one of the most serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950s-60s.

5. David Beckham

David Beckham
Credit David Cornejo via Wikipedia
  • Estimated Wealth: $450 million
  • Club: Retired

David Beckham is an English player who played in the position of attacking midfielder. He is considered one of the best players of his generation and one of the most popular athletes in the world. Beckham played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. He has won 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles, one La Liga title and one MLS Cup.

In February 2014, Beckham announced that he would buy a Major League Soccer team based in Miami. He was just looking for a team and stadium to start playing in in 2021. Owning a football team has been a long-time dream of the former player. In January 2018, he completed the purchase of Miami International Football Club, known as Inter Miami. He is currently the co-owner of Inter Miami, a club in the United States Football League, and the face of several brands such as H&M, Adidas and L’Oreal.

The England star, who retired in 2013, also achieved wealth through his media potential and being one of the top sex symbols of his time.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo

  • Estimated Wealth: $500 million
  • Club: Al Nasr

The Portuguese star needs no introduction. Apart from his undeniable talent on the pitch, winner of outstanding titles for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and the Portuguese national team, he is also a star in the media. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the captain of the Portuguese national team and a striker for Saudi Arabian club Al Nasr. Cristiano has won the Ballon d’Or five times, which is a record among European athletes.

Cristiano is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time and is constantly compared to Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo also owns a chain of hotels, a chain of gyms/gyms and his list of sponsors is extensive, among them: Nike, Emirates, TAG Heuer, KFC, Samsung and many more.

He is currently out of contract with Manchester United and was coveted by teams in the Middle East until he signed a billion dollar contract with Al Nasr and became the highest paid player in the world with earnings of up to $200 million a year.

3. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi
Credit Maxisports via Bigstockphoto
  • Estimated Wealth: $600 million
  • Club: Inter Miami

Widely recognised as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi is a striker for MLS club Inter Miami and is the captain of the Argentine national team. Messi is the third richest footballer in the world with a fortune of $600 million.

The Argentine star has seven Ballon d’Ors, which is a record in itself. He is the player who has won the coveted trophy the most number of times and also has six European Championship golden boots. In 2020, he was named in the Golden Ball dream team. The athlete was also a champion at the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.

No less popular than his Portuguese rival, Messi also has his own clothing line and luxury hotel chain. Over the years, he has also been the face of brands, such as Adidas, Pepsi, Lays and Budweiser.

2. Mathieu Flamini

  • Estimated Wealth: $14 billion
  • Club: Retired

Those who followed European football in the 2000s will remember Flamini, a midfielder who played for Arsenal and AC Milan. He was a player known for being a good teammate and very belligerent in midfield (but was never the team’s star player).

After retiring from football in 2016, he made his fortune through the creation of the pioneering company GFBiochemicals, a company that produces levulinic acid, a biofuel precursor, on a commercial scale from biomass. His company, based in Italy, has recently entered the U.S. market and offers new solutions for acid bioproducts.

1. Faiq Bolkiah

  • Estimated Wealth: $20 billion
  • Club: Ratchaburi, Thailand

Faik Bolkiah is a professional footballer from Brunei who plays for Ratchaburi Club in Thailand and the national team. Bolkiah is the richest athlete in the world, with an estimated net worth of $20 billion. The player has been playing for the Brunei national team since 2014 and has been the team captain since 2018. Faik Bolkiah, who holds half American and Bruneian citizenship, is a prince of Brunei and his uncle Hassanal is the current sultan, meaning the chief monarch of the small country north of Singapore.

He played for clubs such as Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester at youth level, but is known as the richest footballer in the world with a fortune estimated at around $20 billion .

Conclusion

In this article, we have told you about the most successful and richest footballers of today. Whether through their football careers, or other businesses – they are undeniable stars for sports fans and role models for many young athletes.