The top players from the technical sponsor hunt for the most beneficial offer in terms of money and publicity, while the little ones dream of donning their shoes.
Technical sponsors are a valuable source of cash for both clubs and players, as they are typically long-term multi-year contracts that are independent of the contract. Let's see who reaps most from those.
10) Mohamed Salah - Adidas, 2.5 million pounds a year
Photo:salemreporters
In addition to being one of Europe's top attackers and having won the Premier League and Champions League, the Liverpool Egyptian is a national symbol.
And, even if he has a "smaller" Adidas contract than his top-level peers, his global renown ensures him sponsorship revenue of 16 million dollars, which, when combined with a gross salary of 25, secures him a spot on this podium.
9) Marco Verratti - Nike, 2.5 million pounds a year
Photo: bleacherreport
Also, according to the most recent information available, Salah's 2.5 million pounds per year is the same as what Nike guaranteed to the Italian Marco Verratti, who is now at PSG.
8) Paul Pogba - Adidas, 3 million pounds a year
Photo: eurosport
The former Juventus midfielder who now plays for Manchester United is in seventh place but is sponsored by the German company. A charge stemming from a ten-year contract signed in 2014 and set to expire in the next few years.
His technical sponsor, Atletico Madrid of France, pays him the sixth most. Puma's aim to compete with Nike and Adidas includes this operation.
7) Antoine Griezmann - Puma, 3.5 million pounds a year
Photo: everythingbarca
His technical sponsor, the French club Atletico Madrid, pays him the sixth most. Puma's goal to put Nike and Adidas on the back foot includes this operation.
6) Gareth Bale - Adidas, 4 million pounds a year
Photo: the realchamps
The Welsh winger has had some rough years, with his performance slipping, but when Adidas renewed the contract in 2014, it had only been a year since his transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid, and his moniker of "Mister 100 million" was still marketable.
5) Mario Balotelli - Puma, 5 million pounds a year
Photo: eurosport
Super Mario, who inked a ten-year, $50 million contract with Puma in 2014, gave a similar remark. The consequence of a year-long courtship to break it off at Nike. It will expire in 2024, and we all know how his career has progressed since then, even though he is relaunching himself in Turkey (and, who knows, in the national team).
4) Kylian Mbappé - Nike, 14 million pounds a year
Photo: eurosport
The PSG striker will remain with Nike until 2029 when a pharaonic pact expires. The stats grow genuinely enormous from here on out and are only available to the world's top footballers.
3) Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike, 15 million pounds a year
Photo: marca
CR7 is the richest player of all, with a total income of 125 million dollars per year, according to Forbes in 2021. Nike has been forever associated with him, as it has been with other sporting icons throughout its history, most notably in the NBA with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, who later formed their brand in collaboration with the American firm.
Huge success for the Jordan connection, which can now be found on the PSG jerseys of Ronaldo's arch-rival, Leo Messi. The Portuguese, on the other hand, are not the best paid.
2) Lionel Messi - Adidas, 18 million pounds
Photo: marca
All of Messi's rivals, supposing he didn't belong to another team, are also "for life" attached to Adidas, which pays him more than his historic opponent. It's also a war for football boots, since the two have produced two cult versions for football players under their labels.
Vapor or F50 is about more than choosing between two pairs of boots; it's about choosing which side to support, which religion to follow.
1) Neymar - Puma, 23 million pounds a year
Photo: dailysabah
Puma has acquired Neymar, an idol in Europe and something more in his home country of Brazil, to take part in the challenge. To persuade him to change his technical sponsor, they offered a deal worth nearly twice as much as the previous one with Nike: 12 million euros per year.
