Saudi Arabia is the new Eldorado of the football world. After Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté has joined the Gulf country, and other stars could follow this summer. By dint of recruitment and investment, the Saudi championship is taking shape sportingly. But it remains first and foremost economically attractive. And Kanté is no exception to the rule.
According to the Foot Mercato website and the renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, Kanté (32) will receive 25 M€ net per year in salaries at Al-Ittihad. The full lot, which includes “commercial” agreements and image rights, would peak at €100m. The contract of the world champion covering three years, it is therefore no less than 300 M € that he will raise in Saudi Arabia.
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This remains lower than what Benzema, his new teammate, would receive. The Ballon d’Or 2022 would receive a net annual salary of €27.5 million. But his status, level and fame are on a whole other level, which would push the total bill up to nearly €200m. This amount corresponds to the simple annual salary of Ronaldo, five times Ballon d’Or, at Al-Nassr. The Portuguese is the highest paid athlete in the world according to Forbes magazine.
