Didier Drogba Highest-Paid Footballer in the World

By Carol Kearney
Abidjan
Last updated on April 3, 2025

Didier Drogba led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid footballers” released on Wednesday.

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It's been a rough year for the footballer, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 47-year-old Didier Drogba has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid footballers for 2025 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 03/04/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Didier Drogba 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 Wednesday (April 2) that Drogba is the highest-paid footballer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between March 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $60 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 Ivorian footballer has an estimated net worth of $275 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 Drogba Burger” chain) in Abidjan, a Football Team (the “Abidjan Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderdrogba - Ivory Coast), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Didier) and a fashion line called “Didier Drogba Seduction”.

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