Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational return to Manchester United will see him earn £480,000-a-week – making him the highest paid player in the Premier League. The 36-year-old sealed a dramatic move back to United on Friday after he looked set to join rivals Manchester City just hours before.
The move will see him return to the Red Devils 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid and he now looks set to become the highest paid player in the topflight, overtaking the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and David de Gea.
Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne had been on the highest base salary in the Premier League, with the Belgian pocketing an eye-watering £385,000 while United keeper de Gea is on just £10,000 less than him per week. Ronaldo’s staggering weekly wages eclipses De Bruyne’s by almost £100,000, but it still pales in comparison to Lionel Mess and Neymar’s earnings at PSG.
After leaving cash-strapped Barcelona earlier this month, Messi agreed terms on a whooping £1million a week with to sign for PSG, dwarfing Ronaldo’s United deal.
His team-mate Neymar, who joined the club back in 2017, is also one of the best paid players in football, earning £600,000 each week.
However, a £480k salary is a significant outlay for a player who is now 36 years old and shows just how crucial United believe Ronaldo will be for them this season. Former United defender Gary Neville claimed that the Portuguese superstar will help turn United into title challengers.
He said: ‘For Manchester United to get above Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, they’re going to have to do something big. ‘And this could give them a temporary shot in the arm that would potentially get them right up there this year.’
Ronaldo had looked set to join the blue half of Manchester early on Friday, but City were not willing to pay a fee to Juventus and eventually pulled the plug on the deal before United swooped in. Ronaldo will now join United subject to a visa, a medical and agreeing personal terms on a deal worth £19.4m. He could make his second debut for the club against Newcastle in a fortnight.
