Jon Arnold, USA TODAY Mon, October 19, 2026 at 6:38 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may rage on forever, but there is a clear winner in one category.
At least, that's what Forbes ' latest list of highest-earning soccer players in the world indicates, with the Al-Nassr star clearing more than double what the Inter Miami forward makes in the publication's calculations for 2026.
The financial publication long has estimated the worth of not only top athletes but also businesspeople and other celebrities. It released a list of the 10 highest-earning soccer players on Monday, Oct. 19, with Ronaldo topping the list and Messi sitting in second.
The Ballon d'Or will be awarded Oct. 26 in London, and for the first time in years there is real suspense around who will win the top individual prize in men's soccer. For many years, a race between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, those greats departing the European club stage has opened up the competition. This year being a World Cup year means voters will take more than just the UEFA Champions League and domestic excellence into account - and we may not have heard the last of the old guard either. Here are the candidates and their DraftKings odds to win the prize awarded by France Football. (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images) Jude Bellingham - England, Real Madrid: +5000 (Dan Mullan, Getty Images) Erling Haaland - Norway, Manchester City: +5000 (Matt McNulty, Getty Images) Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain : +5000 (Richard Heathcote, Getty Images) Ferran Torres - Spain, Paris Saint-Germain : +5000 (David Ramos, Getty Images) Fabian Ruiz - Spain, Paris-Saint Germain : +5000 (ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images) Michael Olise - France, Bayern Munich: +5000 (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images) Pau Cubarsi - Spain, FC Barcelona : +4000 (Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS) Rodri - Spain, FC Barcelona: +4000 (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com) Lionel Messi - Argentina, Inter Miami: +2000 (Shaun Botterill, Getty Images) Kylian Mbappe - France, Real Madrid: +1400 (Buda Mendes, Getty Images) Lamine Yamal - Spain, FC Barcelona : +160 (Peter Cziborra, Action Images via Reuters) Harry Kane - England, Bayern Munich: -230 (ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images) 1 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds The Ballon d'Or will be awarded Oct. 26 in London, and for the first time in years there is real suspense around who will win the top individual prize in men's soccer. For many years, a race between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, those greats departing the European club stage has opened up the competition. This year being a World Cup year means voters will take more than just the UEFA Champions League and domestic excellence into account - and we may not have heard the last of the old guard either. Here are the candidates and their DraftKings odds to win the prize awarded by France Football. (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images) 1 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds The Ballon d'Or will be awarded Oct. 26 in London, and for the first time in years there is real suspense around who will win the top individual prize in men's soccer. For many years, a race between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, those greats departing the European club stage has opened up the competition. This year being a World Cup year means voters will take more than just the UEFA Champions League and domestic excellence into account - and we may not have heard the last of the old guard either. Here are the candidates and their DraftKings odds to win the prize awarded by France Football. (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images) 2 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Jude Bellingham - England, Real Madrid: +5000 (Dan Mullan, Getty Images) 3 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Erling Haaland - Norway, Manchester City: +5000 (Matt McNulty, Getty Images) 4 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Georgia, Paris Saint-Germain : +5000 (Richard Heathcote, Getty Images) 5 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Ferran Torres - Spain, Paris Saint-Germain : +5000 (David Ramos, Getty Images) 6 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Fabian Ruiz - Spain, Paris-Saint Germain : +5000 (ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images) 7 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Michael Olise - France, Bayern Munich: +5000 (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images) 8 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Pau Cubarsi - Spain, FC Barcelona : +4000 (Kai Pfaffenbach, REUTERS) 9 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Rodri - Spain, FC Barcelona: +4000 (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com) 10 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Lionel Messi - Argentina, Inter Miami: +2000 (Shaun Botterill, Getty Images) 11 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Kylian Mbappe - France, Real Madrid: +1400 (Buda Mendes, Getty Images) 12 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Lamine Yamal - Spain, FC Barcelona : +160 (Peter Cziborra, Action Images via Reuters) 13 / 13 2026 Ballon d'Or candidates by odds Harry Kane - England, Bayern Munich: -230 (ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images) While the media outlet estimates that Messi makes more money off the field than Ronaldo ($75 million compared to $50 million in part thanks to reported revenue-sharing agreements with Adidas and Apple TV as part of his move to MLS), Ronaldo's compensation from his club comes in at an estimated $250 million, more than Messi reportedly makes from all pursuits combined.
Those two stars of the 2010s are still on top, but some of the biggest names at the 2026 World Cup may soon surpass them in compensation.
Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe of France and Real Madrid is listed as third while breakout star Erling Haaland sits fourth. At just 19 years old, Spain and FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is sixth, already having won the World Cup and the Euros and just beginning to put together a roster of sponsors and other off-field deals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is the best-paid soccer player? Ronaldo, Messi battle atop Forbes Rich List
Source: Sports
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