The new football season is upon us and fans will get an opportunity to see the game's biggest stars back on the field, one month after the Fifa World Cup came to an end in North America.
Since then, club football and transfers have been very much back on the agenda. Egypt great Mohamed Salah finalised his next destination - in Turkey's Super Lig with Trabzonspor - while Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Jr ended speculation about his future by signing a fresh six-year deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is back as well, looking to defend the Saudi Pro League title he clinched for Al Nassr the previous season. This term, he will have another target in his sight - the 1,000 career goals landmark.
The best players in the world, commanding the highest wages, will be back in action as the season begins this weekend.
Below is a list of the highest-paid footballers in the world. Data collected through capology.com, salaryleaks.com and media reports.
Highest-paid footballers for 2026/27
20. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - $440,000 per week
=18. Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal) - $450,000 per week
=18. Kingsley Coman (Al Nassr) – $450,000 per week
=16. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) - $460,000 per week
=16. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – $460,000 per week
=14. Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor) - $470,000 per week
=14. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - $470,000 per week
13. Darwin Nunez (Al Hilal) - $490,000 per week
12. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) - $545,000 per week
=10. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) - $550,000 per week
=10. Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) - $550,000 per week
=8. Ivan Toney (Al Ahli) – $560,000 a week
=8. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal) – $560,000 a week
=6. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) - $690,000 per week
=6. Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) - $690,000 per week
5. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - $700,000 per week
4. Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal) - $770,000 per week
3. Sadio Mane (Al Nassr) - $880,000 per week
2. Karim Benzema (Al Hilal) - $2.7m per week
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) - $4.5 million per week
