The Rich-List: Top 50 Richest Footballers In the World

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40. Park Ji-Sung (QPR) – £18m

Park Ji-Sung is the most decorated Asian footballer in European history, having won four Premier League titles and becoming the first Asian footballer to win the Champions League – which he did with Manchester United in 2008.

Now 32 years old, Park left home for Japan in 2000 to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga before moving to PSV Eindhoven in 2002. In his last season in Holland he starred in the Champions League as PSV narrowly lost to AC Milan in the semi-finals.

He joined Man Utd for a £4 million signing in the summer of 2005 before joining QPR for an undisclosed fee last summer.

The Hoops midfielder is mobbed like a pop star when at home in South Korea and before his retirement from international football in 2011 had won 100 caps for The Reds.

Park earns £65,000-a-week in west London, taking a hit on the £75,000-a-week salary he earned at Manchester United, but his considerable off-field earnings certainly make up for that loss.

Gillette used the midfielder to replace one of their famous ‘trio of stars’ in a series of very lucrative ad campaigns across Asia. Park replaced Thierry Henry to appear alongside Roger Federer and Tiger Woods.

Park signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with Nike worth £333,000-a-year – the biggest ever awarded to an Asian sportsman. He has also enjoyed a long-running sponsorship deal with Asiana Airlines since 2007 that is worth £125,000-a-year. The deal includes free first-class tickets for himself and family members.

His investments include a museum, football academy and charity called JS Foundation in South Korea. He also bought a house for his parents worth £2m.

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