Who is the highest paid in the world?

Completely astronomical, the stars' income fuels a real fascination. But who, the Hollywood actor or the international footballer, hits the jackpot?

On red carpets as well as on stadium lawns, glitz is omnipresent. The flashes crackle, the crowds are jubilant, hands sign autographs, the champagne flows freely. But behind these bright smiles hides a much more down to earth reality: that of numbers. Astronomical, dizzying, sometimes difficult to imagine, the stars' income fuels a worldwide fascination.

On the one hand, the actor, who strings together blockbusters with disconcerting ease, negotiates huge contracts for his next role, and garners countless additional revenues from advertising campaigns. On the other hand, the footballer, a veritable goal machine, sells his image to sponsors and raises the stakes with each transfer. But who of the two is the highest paid in the world?

The average salary of an actor varies greatly depending on experience, notoriety and the market in which they work. Dwayne Johnson, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Hardy… Which of them won the biggest jackpot this year? According to the Forbes ranking published in March 2024, the highest paid actor in the world in 2023 is none other than Adam Sandler, with estimated income of $73 million. This sum comes mainly from its collaboration with Netflix, where its films had accumulated more than 500 million hours of viewing during the first half of 2023.

As for women, we can note a small salary gap. It was ultimately Margot Robbie who did the best, with $59 million. However, a great achievement because, at only 34 years old, she is the youngest actress to top the rankings in a decade. This amount comes in particular from the film Barbiewhich grossed $1.45 billion at the worldwide box office, in which she served as producer and lead role.

But Hollywood actors are small players compared to footballers. A player's salary depends on many factors such as age, experience, talent, club and advertising contracts. As a general rule, those who play in the most prestigious championships such as the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A are the best paid. Note that the ranking of the highest paid footballers in the world changes every year, as salaries can fluctuate wildly from one year to the next due to transfers, contract renewals and on-field performances.

This year again, the highest paid football player is Cristiano Ronaldo, thanks to his contract with Al-Nassr, with 285 million dollars in income in 2024 – or 263 million euros –, according to the American economic magazine Forbes. The 39-year-old Portuguese star is ahead of Lionel Messi ($124 million), Neymar ($110 million), Karim Benzema ($104 million) and Kylian Mbappé ($90 million). The ranking is based on estimates of players' salaries, including bonuses and image rights, but also income generated from their sponsorship contracts and other commercial activities, before taxes and agent fees.

These numbers are absolutely mind-blowing. They are as much a dream as they are excessive, especially when we know that, in France, the median salary is 2,150 euros net per month in 2023, while the minimum wage amounts to only 1,426 euros. But the prices of dream makers seem to have no limits…