Forbes: Ronaldo charges $3.43m per social media ad, Messi for $2.59 million

According to Forbes, LEGO and FIFA have joined forces to launch a World Cup-themed marketing campaign featuring Vinicius, Mbappe, Messi, and Ronaldo in the same frame, sparking widespread attention.

According to public data estimates, the contract cost of this 60-second advertisement could exceed $8.02 million for the social media cooperation fees related to just these 4 players.

LEGO, in partnership with FIFA, has launched a marketing campaign called "Everyone Wants a Piece," bringing Vinicius, Mbappe, Messi, and Ronaldo to the same table. In this ad, the four world football superstars "compete" for a LEGO-built replica of the World Cup trophy, each wanting to occupy one more second of screen time. This activity is also part of LEGO's expansion into the sports market. In the video, several stars take turns trying to complete the trophy assembly, but the one who ultimately wins this "contest" is a little boy who puts his mini-figure into the toy.

The video was released on the brand's official social media account on Thursday and garnered over 1 million views on social media within one day, and nearly 3 million likes on TikTok. However, what is more curious  than the quality and creativity of the advertisement itself is: how much did LEGO spend to get these stars to appear in the brand content?

Ronaldo

Ronaldo has expanded his business empire to Saudi Arabia and launched a very successful video channel, and is still standing at the top of the sports wealth pyramid. According to Forbes' "Highest-Paid Athletes in the World" list, Ronaldo earned approximately $60 million in 2025 through advertising and sponsorships, which is only part of his record-breaking total income of $275 million. As the owner of the most followed account on global social media, he also ranks first in the social media monetization list. According to the latest data from Hopper HQ, Ronaldo has over 630 million followers on social media, with an estimated quote of approximately $3.43 million per post. According to Forbes, he earned $75 million in 2025 through advertising.

Messi

Messi and Ronaldo have been alternating between the top two positions on the social media income list, forming a direct competition in this field as well. Messi currently has 512 million followers on social media. According to the same list data, his quote is estimated to be approximately $2.59 million per post.

Mbappe

Mbappe has maintained a highly selective personal image strategy, with cooperative brands mainly concentrated in the luxury goods and technology fields. According to Forbes, Mbappe's off-field income in 2025, i.e., advertising revenue, is approximately $20 million. As he begins a new phase in Spain, this number is likely to continue to rise. Mbappe has a fan base of 122 million and has a strong appeal among young people. The quote for this forward's commercial cooperation post is estimated to be approximately $852,000.

Vinicius

Vinicius has become one of the global representatives of the anti-racism struggle, and is also an important spokesperson for Nike and PlayStation. His market value has also risen rapidly. According to Forbes, Vinicius earned approximately $15 million in 2025 through advertising, entering the ranks of the highest-paid players in the world.

On social media, with the continued attention of Real Madrid fans and Brazil national team fans, his influence is also rising rapidly. Vinicius currently has over 50 million followers, with an estimated quote of approximately $325,000 per post.

Cost Estimation

This advertising campaign is obviously more than just a single post on social media, and the content will also appear separately in each player's personal account. Another important factor is that the shooting and production costs behind this video may also add hundreds of thousands of dollars to each player's contract amount. However, if based on the aforementioned public data, LEGO and FIFA's marketing campaign may cost more than $8.02 million in contract spending alone, and all of this is just for a 60-second video.