The football world was stunned by revelation on Wednesday that Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq have offered Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson a whopping £700,000 a week to move to the Middle East.
Henderson, 33, will make a decision over a move in the next 48 hours after having doubts over his Liverpool future.
He is set for crunch talks with manager Jurgen Klopp, with his future unclear – but one thing is certain, picking up that salary packet would make him one of the highest-paid footballers on the entire planet.
Superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were persuaded out of Europe with gigantic wage offers, while two Paris Saint-Germain forwards earn among the biggest salaries in world football.
And below, Mail Sport looks at where Henderson would rank in top 10 global earners – with the caveat that these figures for basic wage are approximate, based on information from multiple different sources, and exclude commercial income, add-ons/bonuses and sponsorship, unless otherwise indicated.
Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq has offered Jordan Henderson £700,000 per week to join them
The Liverpool captain is considering his options as he weighs up a lucrative move to the Gulf
Below, Mail Sport looks at where Henderson would rank in top 10 global earners if he moves
10. Casemiro, Man United – £375,000 per week
Brazilian defensive midfielder Casemiro cost Manchester United a pretty penny when he signed last summer.
United paid £70m for his services and, on top of that, pay him £375,000 per week, making the 31-year-old one of the highest-paid stars in the Premier League.
9. Kevin De Bruyne, Man City – around £425,000 per week
Kevin De Bruyne, arguably City’s most talented if not most influential player, has a basic wage roughly in line with or slightly above Haaland’s.
Though as explained above, the Norwegian striker far outstrips him when it comes to actual take-home pay every week with all bonuses included.
The Belgian midfielder is one of the top earners in the best league in the world. However, this could be his last major long-term deal at this level, given he is 32 years old and struggled last season with injuries.
8. Marcelo Brozovic, Al-Nassr – £575,000 per week
Perhaps the most surprising name on this list is former Inter Milan stalwart Marcelo Brozovic.
The Croatian is not the most well-known or highly heralded star, though he has long been admired by Barcelona, but he secured a life-changing move to Saudi side Al-Nassr in July, where he will be team-mates with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder reportedly earns a gargantuan £575,000 per week with Luis Castro’s side and is one of the headline names to move to the Gulf state this summer, along with Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly – among others.
7. Jordan Henderson, (possible future move) Al-Ettifaq – £700,000 per week
Henderson leaving Anfield would be an absolute game changer for Saudi’s sportswashing-motivated attempted takeover of football.
Unlike washed-up veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo looking for a final pay-day, the England midfielder is at or close to the top of his game, still plays regularly for his country and is highly prized by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.
Whether former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard, recently appointed the new boss at the ambitious Al-Ettifaq remains to be seen – but if he does leave, indications are that he will be the sixth-highest earner in the world.
Meanwhile, a Liverpool LGBT fan group say they are ‘appalled and concerned’ at their ‘ally’ Henderson considering the move amid criticisms of Saudi Arabia for their persecution of gay people and numerous human rights infringements.
New Al-Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard (right) is hoping to persuade Jordan Henderson to sign
6. Neymar, PSG – £725,000 per week
Brazilian forward Neymar has certainly been well remunerated across his time at French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Though reports differ on his weekly salary, French outlet L’Equipe reported in March that he earns around £3.1million per month, working out at circa £725,000 per week.
However, amid off-field troubles and several injury issues, PSG are thought to be willing to sell him – and one advantage would be getting his hefty salary off their wage bill.
5. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami (unconfirmed) – Around £900,000 per week
Though the move is currently unconfirmed, Messi – arguably the greatest player ever – has indicated he will sign for the MLS side once the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.
Figures differ, but the Sun state that the little Argentine’s wage will reportedly rise to £119.34m across his two-and-a-half year deal, which is equivalent to about £918,000 per week.
That excludes a signing-on bonus, an ownership stake at the club upon his retirement plus sponsorships and commercial income, which would be hugely lucrative for the veteran.
Star Lionel Messi could earn around £900k per week at Inter Miami if the move is confirmed
4. Erling Haaland, Man City – Around £900,000 per week
Hotshot striker Erling Haaland’s basic wage is around £400,000 per week at Manchester City.
But that doesn’t nearly tell the full story of his earnings.
Mail Sport exclusively reported in October that with significant, extremely realistic and almost guaranteed add-ons, he actually earns closer to £900,000 per week.
That figure would put him close to PSG’s Kylian Mbappe in the top three-earning footballers in the world.
Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland (right) earn around £900k-a-week with add-ons
3. Kylian Mbappe, PSG – £900,000 per week
Admittedly, Kylian Mbappe’s PSG contract is hugely complicated so it is difficult to discern exactly how much he earns, as it is far from only basic wages that comprise the money he earns every month.
The L’Equipe article that reveals Neymar’s salary also states that his team-mate Mbappe earns around £1.1m per week, though earlier this month, Mail Sport cited reports claiming to be less than £900,000 per week.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr – £1.2million per week
Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo’s exact salary is hard to pin down. The Portuguese, formerly of Manchester United, is widely recognised to earn an overall £175m per year or £3.3m per week.
However, that figure includes commercial income, sponsorship and bonuses. His actual wage is understood to be around £1.2m per week.
The 38-year-old was named as the world’s highest-paid athlete in Forbes’ annual rich list after collecting an incredible £109million in the year up to the figures being calculated.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the highest-paid players in world football at Saudi club Al-Nassr
1. Karim Benzema, Al-Ittihad – £1.6million per week, including commercial income
It should be said immediately that Karim Benzema is not the highest-paid player in the world.
However, unlike all the other stars on this list, it was not possible to find an accurate figure for his earnings at Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
He earns £1.6m including commercial income, though his actual weekly salary is likely to put him further down the list, perhaps around Neymar and Jordan Henderson’s wages.
Either way, his free transfer move from Real Madrid to Saudi Pro League champions, where he will play alongside the likes of former Chelsea defensive midfielder Kante, ex-Celtic winger Jota and under captain Ahmed Hegazi, formerly of West Brom.
