Claude Makélélé Highest-Paid Footballer in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid footballers” released on Saturday.

It's been a rough year for the footballer, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 51-year-old Claude Makélélé has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid footballers for 2024 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 24/11/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Claude Makélélé tops annual list of highest-paid footballers

In 2022 it looked like the footballer’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Saturday (November 23) that Makélélé is the highest-paid footballer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between October 2023 and October 2024, a nearly $20 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The French footballer has an estimated net worth of $145 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Makélélé Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Kinshasa Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondermakélélé - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Claude) and a fashion line called “Claude Makélélé Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Claude fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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