10 richest players in the world: Brunei star is 40 times richer than Ronaldo

According toEsquire, Cristiano Ronaldo is the 3rd richest player in the world with a fortune of 780 million USD. The Portuguese player's name has become a famous global brand.

In addition to the highest salary in the world (more than 200 million USD per year), Ronaldo's income also comes from restaurant and fashion businesses. In addition, CR7's personal page also has more than 600 million followers. This is also the place that brings him a series of lucrative advertising contracts.

Above Ronaldo is a name quite familiar to football fans, Mathieu Flamini. The French midfielder's football career is quite modest with 3 FA Cup championships with Arsenal, 1 Scudetto (Serie A championship) with Milan.

Flamini's vast fortune ($21.8 billion) however comes from his business ventures. The former Arsenal player is the co-founder and CEO of GF Biochemicals, a leading global chemical manufacturer. Flamini's group produces levulinic acid, which is seen as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based products.

Leading the list of the world's richest players is Faiq Bolkiah ($31.2 billion). The player born in 1998 is not a world-famous star like Ronaldo, nor does he have a successful business career like Flamini. However, Faiq owns a fortune that every player can only dream of.

In fact, the player born in 1998 is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, the younger brother of the Sultan of Brunei with a fortune of tens of billions of dollars. A few years ago, the media reported that Mr. Jefri could spend 35 million USD on cars, watches, and diamonds in just one month. Faiq is said to own up to 2,300 cars and countless real estates.

In 2005, the Prince of Brunei even spared no expense in inviting Michael Jackson to perform at his birthday party, with the total cost possibly reaching up to 15 million USD.

The remaining names in the top richest football players in the world all have assets that only stop at 9 digits. David Beckham ranks 4th with a total asset of 630 million euros.

Lionel Messi is ranked 5th with a fortune of 625 million euros. If he had agreed to join the Saudi Pro League this summer, the Argentine superstar would have certainly surpassed President Beckham in terms of wealth. It is known that Messi rejected an offer with a salary of nearly 700 million USD per year from Al Hilal.

Ranking of the richest players/former players in the world
1. Faiq Bolkiah ($31.2 billion).

2. Mathieu Flamini ($21.8 billion).

3. Cristiano Ronaldo ($780 million).

4. David Beckham ($630 million).

5. Lionel Messi ($625 million).

6. Dave Whelan ($345 million).

7. Neymar ($310 million).

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($300 million).

9. Ronaldo Nazario ($250 million).

10. Kylian Mbappe ($235 million).