I discovered something quite interesting about who is the richest soccer player in the world, and it's not Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi. Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, has an estimated fortune of 20 billion dollars. Like, way more than any other athlete. The difference? He inherited it, he didn't earn it by playing. But then the question is: does that count as the richest soccer player or is he more of an heir who played football?

Among those who truly built wealth through sports and business, Mathieu Flamini is impressive. Former Arsenal and Milan player, he founded a bioproducts company after retiring and became a billionaire. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has around 500 million in assets, not only from salaries but from global advertising contracts, hotels, gyms. Messi has 400 million too, more quietly.

What I found most interesting is that in 2025 and 2026, the highest salaries remain absurd: Cristiano with 220 million per year at Al-Nassr, Neymar 110 million at Al-Hilal, Mbappé 90 million at Real Madrid. But here’s the detail – these numbers include image rights, sponsorships, all together. Football has become much more of a business than just a sport.

The wealthiest clubs? Real Madrid leads with 6.6 billion, Manchester United 6.5 billion, Barcelona 5.6 billion. This shows how capital is concentrated in Europe, especially in the Premier League and La Liga. And behind all this are billionaire owners – the Saudi PIF fund with 700 billion controlling Newcastle and Al-Hilal, Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City with 30 billion.

It’s clear that the richest soccer player in the world isn’t necessarily the best on the field. It’s more about inheritance, financial management, and building a personal brand beyond the pitch. Soccer is a billion-dollar industry indeed, it’s not just passion.