Top 10 highest-paid sports stars in the world amid record-breaking Mbappe bid

25 July 2023 , 21:16

951 0

Kylian Mbappe would gazump some of sport's most famous names in becoming the highest-paid athlete of all-time - should he accept a lucrative proposal from Saudi Arabia.

Mbappe, 24, has been offered a stunning £11.6million per WEEK to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, having been put up for sale by furious Paris Saint-Germain chiefs. The French forward recently informed the club that he won't be signing a new contract, allowing him to leave on a free transfer when his current £62m-a-year deal expires in June 2024.

Instead, PSG are adamant that Mbappe must go this summer so that they're able to recoup a significant fee and avoid losing him for nothing. It's no surprise, then, that the Ligue 1 champions have accepted Al-Hilal's staggering £259m bid.

Mbappe would pocket more than £600m by spending just one year in Saudi Arabia before he'd be allowed to join dream club Real Madrid in 12 months' time. While it's unlikely that the 24-year-old will head to the Middle East, he'd undoubtedly make history by doing so, including leaping from sixth to first place on the list of the world's top 10 highest-paid sports stars.

His prospective £603m salary would blow the earnings of Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently sits top of the rankings, out of the water. The former Manchester United megastar joined Saudi side Al-Nassr last December to bank £173m per year, taking him top of the earnings list.

Hakim Ziyech brutally denied deadline day transfer as PSG furious at Chelsea

Then, in third place should Mbappe take up Al-Hilal's proposal, is another player who recently moved to the Middle East, Karim Benzema. The ex-Real Madrid striker will pocket £172m while playing for Al-Ittihad, £30m clear of golfing legend Phil Mickelson, who earns his riches with LIV Golf, a competition which is financed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, known as the PIF.

Then we cut to nearly half of Mickelson's £142m salary with the potentially fifth-placed N'Golo Kante, banking £86m while playing alongside Benzema for reigning Saudi champions Al-Ittihad following his switch from Chelsea. Another near-50 per cent drop sees Lionel Messi, Mbappe's team-mate at PSG for the last two seasons, on £48m per year after signing for David Beckham's US club Inter Miami.

Kylian Mbappe has been given permission to speak to Al-Hilal by Paris Saint-Germain (Paris Saint-Germain Football/PSG via Getty Images)

Have your say! Should Kylian Mbappe accept Al-Hilal's offer? Join the debate in the comments section.

Neymar would narrowly be in seventh place on £47.5m and he remains at PSG six years after quitting Barcelona to head to the French capital in a world-record transfer deal, which is also under threat by Al-Hilal's pursuit of Mbappe. There was a new addition to the glamorous list on Tuesday, as Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown signed an NBA-record contract worth £47.3m per year.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull in Formula 1 follows him, with a salary of £44m as he's on course to win the 2023 World Championship at a canter. Another basketball star would then round out of the top 10, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. The Serbian centre edges the Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry by £500,000, earning £42.5m.