Each national team is looking for highly competent players at the peak of their game as the FIFA World Cup 2022 draws near. The finest soccer players in the world earn record-breaking salaries, but great talent has a price.
The team at freebets.ltd.uk examined the earnings of more than 30,000 active soccer players from 190+ nations as part of their study into betting tips and odds for the 2022 World Cup, mapping the highest-paid players in each country.
According to Free Bets LTD, France is currently in the lead. The highest-paid soccer player in the world is Kylian Mbappé, who makes $88,359,383 a year as their highest-paid player.
The fact that this PSG superstar is at the top of the list after signing a record-breaking expensive contract this summer is not surprising. Will Kylian Mbappé once more astound the world with his abilities and assist France in breaking the curse of World Cup champions in 2022?
Argentina is in second place, with Lionel Messi making nearly $1 million per week and $58,782,360 annually! Despite his advanced age, Messi is still the star of his club and his country.
Messi will once again serve as Argentina’s captain in Qatar in 2022, which is likely to be his final opportunity to win the World Cup after his team won the Copa America Cup in 2021 and he was given the Golden Boot as the top scorer.
With a salary of $30,295,524 Christiano Ronaldo, 37, is currently the highest-paid soccer player in Portugal, while Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard is the highest-paid player in Belgium ($29,391,180).
Brazil, another nation in South America, comes in third with Neymar’s yearly salary of $50,494,047. Neymar made his national team debut for Brazil at 18, and since then, he has played 119 times and scored 74 goals for his native nation.
The Most Expensive Soccer Players Worldwide
As the top two paid soccer players in the world and PSG colleagues, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi were listed as the highest-paid players for Europe and South America, respectively.
Sadio Mané, the all-time leading goalscorer for Senegal and one of the best African footballers of all time, is the most-paid athlete in Africa but he has missed out on the tournament as a result of an injury.
Thomas Partey of Ghana and Arsenal is, as a result, the highest-paid player playing for an African country at the World Cup.
Christian Pulisic of the United States men’s national soccer team is the highest-paid soccer player in North America, with an $8,817,354 yearly wage from his club Chelsea.
Heung-Min Son will be named the highest-paid Asian soccer player in 2022 on the other side of the globe.
The South Korean captain makes $11,286,213 a year after spending seven years as a player for Tottenham Spurs in the English Premier League.
Chris Wood, who leads New Zealand in goals scored, joined Newcastle United this year and has been playing in the English leagues since 2009. He earns $4,702,589 annually. He is now the highest-paid soccer player in Oceania as a result.
Highest Paid Player by Country
The wealthiest athletes from six different nations play for Paris Saint-Germain. They employ the top three soccer players in terms of income and have the most prosperous players from Costa Rica, Italy, and Morocco.
Following this in terms of having four of the highest paid soccer players in the country are S.S.C. Napoli from the Italian Serie A, Liverpool F.C. from the English Premier League, and FC Barcelona from La Liga.
The English Premier League has 24 of the highest-paid players in the world, more than any other soccer league (including Saudi Professional League with 10) and the Italian Serie A (18).
Top 10 Highest-Paid Players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
| S. No. | Player | Country | Club | Total Earnings ($ million) per year |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | PSG | 122 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Free Agent | 115 |
| 3 | Neymar Jr. | Brazil | PSG | 103 |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappe | France | PSG | 48.8 |
| 5 | Gareth Bale | Wales | LAFC | 43 |
| 6 | Eden Hazard | Belgium | Real Madrid | 37.9 |
| 7 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | Barcelona | 33.8 |
| 8 | Kevin de Bruyne | Belgium | Manchester City | 33.1 |
| 9 | Raheem Sterling | England | Chelsea | 31.6 |
| 10 | Antoine Griezmann | France | Atletico Madrid | 31 |