By Aimee Lewis, CNNEver since he led France to glory at the 2018 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe has been anointed as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s eventual successor on the pitch. According to Forbes, the Paris Saint-Germain forward will earn an estimated $128 million for the 2022-23 season before agents’ fees, a record in the magazine’s annual rankings. Messi, 35, drops to second at $120 million, with Manchester United’s Ronaldo, 37, third on $100 million. For the first time in eight years, neither Messi nor Ronaldo top the list. In total, the 10 highest paid soccer players are expected to collect record earnings worth $652 million this season, up 11% from last year’s $585 million.

Source: Forbes October 08, 2022 16:20 UTC