Some of the top football stars in the world earn millions through boot sponsorship deals. Here are the top ten highest-paid sponsorship deals in football.
Top 10 most expensive boot sponsorship deals in football
10. Mohamed Salah, £2.5M
Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the Premier League, and kicks off the list of the highest-paid players in terms of boot sponsorships. Salah wears the X18 boots and is endorsed by Adidas. He is also the only African player to earn such a high amount in sponsorship.
9. Marco Verratti, £2.5M
Verratti’s deal with Puma ended in 2017, and he has since partnered up with Nike for an undisclosed length. The Italian midfielder currently wears Nike’s Hypervenom Phantom III boots.
8. Paul Pogba, £3M
Pogba appears on a number of Adidas ads and is also on every poster promoting the latest Predator boots. The World Cup winning midfielder has a deal with Adidas that runs until 2024.
7. Antoine Griezmann, £3.5M
In 2015, Griezmann signed an extension with Puma worth £3.5 million per year. He has been with the company since 1009, and to celebrate his 10-year boot sponsorship anniversary with them, Puma released the Future 4.1 NETFIT Grizi priced at £229 in 2019.
6. Gareth Bale, £4M
Bale is one of the most well-paid players in the world, who rarely feature for his club. The Welshman has sponsorship deals with the likes of EA Sports, Lucozade and Adidas that adds to his £18 million salary.
5. Mario Balotelli, £5M
While Balotelli isn’t as marketable as he once was, the player has one of the most expensive boot sponsorship deals in the world. He is currently endorsed by Puma and kicks off the top five.
4. Kylian Mbappe, £14M
Kylian Mbappe is one of the most exciting young players in the world and is already one of the best in the world. Similarly, he has one of the most expensive deals in the world, at an eye-watering £14 million per season, courtesy of Nike.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo, £15M
Ronaldo comes in third, having signed a lifetime deal with Nike. He is the third athlete to have a lifetime deal with Nike, after LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
2. Lionel Messi, £18M
Messi has his own sub-brand of boots, named the Adidas Messi series. He is Adidas’ highest-paid player and has a lifetime contract with the brand.
1. Neymar Jr, £23M
After snubbing Nike, Neymar joined Puma’s roster last year to sign one of the most expensive boot deals in history. The exact duration of the contract is yet unknown but is worth much more than his previous 11-year deal with Nike.
