Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the highest paid players in the world, yet each of them earns their money in ways that are not directly related to their performance on the field. Through sponsored posts on Instagram, Ronaldo and Messi rake in enormous sums of money for themselves.

The money that Cristiano Ronaldo receives from sponsored posts on the well-known social networking platform Instagram is higher than that of Lionel Messi, who has been Ronaldo’s longtime nemesis, according to a study that was covered by CNN.

For each sponsored post that Ronaldo made on Instagram, he reportedly made $3.23 million, which is equivalent to 2.57 million pounds. The astonishing amount of $2.6 million (£2.07 million) that Leo Messi earns for each post is not far behind him either.

Ronaldo surpasses Messi in terms of income on Instagram (Photo: GOAL).

Cristiano currently has 629 million followers on Instagram. The Portuguese legend holds many commercial contracts with major brands, including Tag Heuer, Armani and Nike. While Messi, the striker has 502 million followers on the platform, also has partnerships with major brands including Lays, Adidas and Lowe’s.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the wealthiest soccer players in the world as of the year 2024. Their net assets are estimated to be $650 million and $600 million, respectively.

According to Forbes, Ronaldo is claimed to have become the highest-paid athlete in the world after coming to Al Nassr in the summer of 2023. This information comes from the publication. According to reports, his deal with the Saudi Pro League club is worth a total of 220 million US dollars every season. Not only does CR7 receive pay, but he also receives additional bonuses from football.

In the meantime, according to information that was made public by the Major League Soccer Players Association (via GOAL), Lionel Messi is presently the highest-paid player in the league. There are claims that indicate that M10 receives a base salary of $12 million in addition to a bonus of $20.4 million. Despite this, it has been estimated that the player’s annual income might reach a value of between fifty and sixty million dollars due to his contract with Adidas and a percentage of the earnings from Apple TV’s Major League Soccer Season Pass.