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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's first ever payslips revealed as staggeringly low salaries resurface

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's first ever payslips revealed as staggeringly low salaries resurface

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo earned far less than what they pocket now.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's first ever payslips have been revealed in a fascinating video, which shows how little they earned compared to now.

Messi and Ronaldo are among the highest-paid footballers in the world as they boast eye-watering contracts with Inter Miami and Al Nassr respectively.

The Argentine joined MLS side Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 while the Portuguese swapped Europe for the Middle East in January 2023.

They are both on mind-blowing contracts, with Messi on a base salary of $12 million while Ronaldo takes home an annual on-field salary of €19 million.

It's a far cry from what Messi and Ronaldo earned coming up through the ranks.

According to a video uploaded on Goal 90, Messi and Ronaldo earned significantly less than what they pocket now.

Per the video, the World Cup winner bagged €600 per month before signing a new deal when he turned 18, which was worth £250,000 per month.

As for Ronaldo, he received €40,000 per week at Manchester United when he signed from Sporting CP as a budding teenager.

Lionel Messi in action for Inter Miami. Image: Getty
Lionel Messi in action for Inter Miami. Image: Getty

Messi and Ronaldo's earnings have skyrocketed following their meteoric rise in football.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has a net worth estimated to be around $600 million by Forbes, who put his overall career earnings at $1.28 billion back in 2023.

As of 2024, the Real Madrid legend has an estimated net worth between £500 million and £600 million.

Both players also make more money through incentives and lucrative endorsement deals.

What's more, Ronaldo is in line to pen a new Al Nassr contract to extend his stay in Saudi Arabia, with a blockbuster deal reportedly agreed.

Asked if he moved to Saudi Arabia for the money, the 39-year-old said: “I’m here to win. To win trophies, to make Al Nassr better, to make the Saudi Pro League better, change the culture."

He added: “I want to be successful, I want to leave a legacy. This is what I want. This is why I am here. They help me, I help them. We are a unit.

“I take my piece of cake, Netflix take a piece of cake, Saudi, everyone. We work for a big cake, it is winning-winning.”

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football

Nasir Jabbar
Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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@NasJabbar