“Cristiano Ronaldo Leads Global Weekly Salary Rankings as Lionel Messi Drops to 13th Position”Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has once again emerged as the world’s highest paid footballer based on weekly base salary, further underlining the financial transformation taking place in global football. In a notable development, Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has fallen to 13th place in the weekly base salary rankings. However, when measured strictly by weekly club salary, several players now earn more than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. The latest rankings also feature a number of high-profile players from Saudi Arabia and Europe, illustrating the evolving economics of professional football. While weekly salary rankings provide insight into players’ club earnings, they do not include additional income streams such as performance bonuses, image rights, sponsorship agreements, or endorsement deals, which remain substantial for many of the sport’s biggest names.