Highest-paid players in world football revealed ahead of Qatar World Cup 2022

Money can’t buy a ticket to the World Cup — at least if you’re a footballer competing for a coveted spot. We reveal the highest-earning stars who won’t feature in Qatar in our football rich list.

Highest-paid players in world football revealed.

Qatar is the playground for the rich and famous, and when it comes to football they don’t come any richer than this lot.

So there’s no better place to introduce you to the game’s true elite – the stars living in another financial stratosphere.

And, incredibly, seven of the top 20 earners will not be at the World Cup.

This list is headed by nouveau riche French star Kylian Mbappe, the top dog who this year dethroned Argentinian maestro, and Paris St Germain teammate, Lionel Messi as football’s highest earner.

It’s a title that didn’t come cheaply for his club team, either.

Mbappe’s eye-watering new contract with the French champions is worth 630 million euros (close to $A1 billion) over the next three years alone and instantly makes the 23-year-old one of the highest paid athletes on the planet.

Showcasing the pulling power of the oil-rich Qatar, which owns PSG, two of his teammates – including Messi and Brazilian striker Neymar – feature in this year’s top five.

Naturally, Manchester United and Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo remains among the best-paid players on the planet despite an up-and-down campaign with the English giants – though Ronaldo’s earning potential extends far beyond the pitch.

Many of these titans of world football will be showcasing the skills that pay the bills as the World Cup kicks off in Qatar this month – perhaps with the odd bonus in their sights.

But there’ll be no place for Egypt’s Mo Salah, or Norway’s Erling Haaland, after their countries failed to qualify – while Spanish quartet David de Gea, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Andreas Iniesta might still be among the biggest earners on the planet.