PSG star Kylian Mbappe beats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to become highest-earning footballer
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe has beaten teammate Lionel Messi and Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo to become the highest-earning footballer, as per Firstpost.
They cite a Forbes report which claims that the Frenchman leads the list of the highest-earning footballers with annual earnings of $128 million.
At just 23, Mbappe hit the $100 million milestone, which did not occur for Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo until they reached their 30s.
There was much speculation over the French forward's future in May, with Real Madrid expected to sign him upon his contract expiring with PSG in the summer.
However, Mbappe signed a new three-year deal at the Parc des Princes which sees him earn a $110 million salary.
Endorsement deals with Nike, Dior, Hublot and Oakley come in at $18 million which takes his overall earnings to €128 million.
Mbappe is quickly becoming a global icon and was on the cover of EA Sports FIFA video game.
Sorare co-founder Nicolas Julia told Forbes:
“He’s a global icon already. He wants to aid the world and show, also, that huge things can be built out of France.”
3 IN A ROW 👑
Proud to feature on the cover again #FIFA23
@EASPORTSFIFA https://t.co/t71RGY7sBZ
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is second on the list with earnings of $120 million and Cristiano Ronaldo comes in third with €100 million earnings.
It is the first time a player other than the legendary duo has taken the top spot since 2014.
Here are the top 10 highest-earning players for 2022:
Mbappe becoming a superstar the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Mbappe is starting to rival Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both on-and-off the pitch.
The Frenchman's meteoric rise from a football perspective has been astounding.
He made his debut for AS Monaco in 2015 before heading to PSG in 2018 for £162 million ($179.6 million).
Mbappe has gone on to score 182 goals in 228 appearances for the Parisians, winning the Ligue 1 title five times and Coupe de France on three occasions.
The striker has excelled for the French national team, scoring 28 goals in 59 international appearances.
He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Les Blues at just the age of 19.
FIFA Young Player Award:
🥇Kylian MBAPPE (#FRA)
#WorldCup https://t.co/v4eMfItkkP
From a commercial standpoint, Mbappe is now leading the way and is easily on track to reach the same superstardom levels that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo achieved.
It shouldn't be too long until the Frenchman is winning the Ballon d'Or, although he has a long way to go in beating Messi's seven and Ronaldo's six wins of the award.