Nani Highest-Paid Footballer in the World

By Carol Kearney
Lisbon
Last updated on May 8, 2025

Nani 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. 38-year-old Nani has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid footballers for 2025 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 08/05/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Nani 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 (May 7) that Nani is the highest-paid footballer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between April 2024 and April 2025, a nearly $50 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 Portuguese footballer has an estimated net worth of $245 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 Nani Burger” chain) in Lisbon, a Football Team (the “Praia Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondernani - Portugal), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Nani) and a fashion line called “Nani Seduction”.

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