Liverpool player who earns more than Erling Haaland; it's not Virgil Van Dijk

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé has emerged as the world's highest-paid footballer, according to Forbes magazine; the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list in eight years. Mbappe, 23, is estimated to earn $128 million during the 2022-23 season before agent fees.

This is a record for Forbes' annual rankings, with PSG teammate Lionel Messi in second place on $120 million and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo ($100 million) in third place. PSG's Neymar ($87m) and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah ($53m) complete the top five.

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PSG's million-dollar bid for Mbappé, who resigned to join Real Madrid, makes the French international the highest-paid player with 128 million dollars, ahead of Messi's 120 million, second, and Cristiano's 100 million, third. The Argentinian and the Portuguese had held the top two positions on this list, which is traditionally compiled by Forbes based on the annual income of footballers, since 2014. Neymar (PSG), with 87, and Mohamed Salah (53), of Liverpool, complete the 'Top 5'.

Erling Haaland, who has had a flying start to his Manchester City career after joining the club from Borussia Dortmund last season, debuts in the top 10, with earnings of $39m. The rise of France's Mbappe and Norway's Haaland, the only players under 30 on the list, point to a shift in world football, according to the Forbes report, as Messi and Ronaldo near the end of their glorious careers.

<strong>Mohamed Salah earns more than Erling Haaland</strong>

In total, the 10 highest-paid footballers are expected to earn record earnings of $652m this season, up 11 per cent from last year's $585m. Among the top 10 highest paid is a Spaniard, Andres Iniesta, who at 38 is still active with Vissel Kobe and his earnings are estimated at 30 million euros, ninth on the list.