These Footballer Goals Are Worth Millions: Sport Salaries 2026 Revealed
A 2026 report on the most expensive football strikers found that Karim Benzema costs AL Hilal nearly $16 million per goal. A new study by the football predictions platform The Daily Punt reveals which superstars earned the biggest paychecks but scored the fewest goals this season.
- Karim Benzema is the most expensive goal scorer, costing Saudi Al Hilal nearly $16M for each of his 9 goals this year.
- With $243M in annual salary, Cristiano Ronaldo is football's highest earner, scoring 26 goals this season.
- Despite the bad press, Kylian Mbappé managed to net 41 goals in 2025-26, earning $36.5M annually at Real Madrid.
The research examined 20+ top strikers across major leagues to find which superstars are costing the clubs the most. The study looked at what each player makes per year and how many times they've scored during the 2025-26 season. By dividing salary by goals, the study calculated the cost per goal for each striker. Players were then ranked from highest to lowest cost, showing which stars are paid the most while scoring the fewest goals.
Here's a look at the top 10 most expensive goal scorers in football:
You can access the complete research findings here.
1. Karim Benzema
- Club: Al Hilal
- Gross annual salary: $143M
- Goals scored: 9
- Matches played: 9
- Non-penalty goals: 9
- Price per goal: $15.8M
Karim Benzema is football's most expensive goal scorer this season. The French striker earns $143M annually at Saudi Al Hilal, making him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world despite turning 38 last year. However, Karim scored only 9 goals in 2025-26, which means each of his goals cost the club nearly $16 million.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo takes second place, costing the Saudi Al Nassr $9.36M per goal. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner earns $243M annually, the highest salary in football. At 41, Ronaldo managed to net 26 goals across 28 matches this season. And while it sounds impressive, his generous contract still makes him one of the most luxurious players to have in the squad.
3. Rodrygo
Next on the list is Real Madrid’s Rodrygo. The Brazilian winger earns $19.5M annually at the Spanish club, far below the Saudi-based players above him. But he has been in quite bad form this season, scoring only 3 goals across 27 matches. This poor return means that Rodrygo cost Los Blancos nearly $6.5 million per goal this year.
4. Sadio Mané
Sadio Mané comes in fourth, costing Al Nassr $5.19M for each goal. The Senegalese forward earns $46.7M per year and has scored 9 times in 23 appearances. For a veteran who just turned 34, these numbers look respectable and suggest he's still performing at a high level. However, many would argue that his goal tally still doesn't justify the salary.
5. Darwin Núñez
Darwin Núñez rounds out the top five most expensive goal scorers. The Uruguayan striker, who joined Saudi Al Hilal from Liverpool this year, managed to score just 6 goals in 16 matches. This means he finds the net roughly once every three games. While this is much better than Rodrygo’s stats, Darwin also earns over $26 million annually, still costing the club more than $4M per goal.