Son Heung-min ranks 7th on British list of wealthiest 2026 FIFA World Cup players

Korea captain Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago at Brigham Young University's South Field in Provo, Utah, Saturday. Yonhap

By Hankookilbo

• Published Jun 6, 2026 12:15 AM KST

Tottenham legend outranks Manchester City's Erling Haaland

Korean forward Son Heung-min ranks seventh on a British media list of the wealthiest players expected to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Sun estimated his net worth at 74 million pounds ($99.4 million).

The ranking, published Wednesday, places tos Angeles FC player above Manchester City striker Erling Haaland of Norway, whose net worth The Sun listed at 59 million pounds. Son's placement demonstrates how his decade at Tottenham Hotspur, immense commercial appeal in Korea and high-profile move to the U.S. keep him among football's top earners.

Son joined LAFC after a decade-long stint with Spurs, and is poised to become Korea's record World Cup goalscorer as he nears his 150th appearance for the men's national team. The publication attributed his wealth partly to numerous endorsement deals driven by his commercial appeal in his home country.

During his peak years at Tottenham, Son reportedly earned a base salary of up to 10 million pounds. He now ranks second in Major League Soccer with about $11 million in total compensation, according to the MLS Players Association. Argentina's Lionel Messi leads the league with around $28 million at Inter Miami.

The Sun named Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, as the wealthiest player on the list with a net worth of 1 billion pounds. Messi ranked second at 742 million pounds, followed by Brazilian forward Neymar of Santos at 334 million pounds. Kylian Mbappe of France, representing Real Madrid in Spain, took fourth place with 186 million pounds, while England striker Harry Kane of Germany's Bayern Munich placed fifth at 110 million pounds.

Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Liverpool in the Premier League placed sixth at 104 million pounds. Behind Son, Algeria's Riyad Mahrez ranked eighth with 63 million pounds at Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, while James Rodriguez of Colombia and Minnesota United tied Haaland for ninth at 59 million pounds.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.