Take a look at the five richest footballers in the world according to a report from Forbes, one Manchester United star is part of the list alongside some of the world’s most talented players.
The list from Forbes highlights a player’s earnings by taking into account their salary, bonuses and also money made from endorsement deals.
5. Paul Pogba
Manchester United’s eccentric midfielder is the first entrant on the list with his earnings of $29.5m, the Frenchman’s salary at and bonus with the Red Devils makes up $25m with a further $4.5m coming into the midfielder’s back pocket through endorsements.
Pogba’s major sponsor is Adidas and the sportswear giant see the World Cup winner as one of their biggest stars.
Adidas were behind the viral announcement video when Pogba rejoined United for a then world-record transfer fee.
Adidas put together Pogba and Grime star Stormzy to announce the transfer, the video took the internet by storm and set the trend for the announcement videos we now see from clubs across the world.
Check out the announcement video here.
4. Gareth Bale
Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale is next on the list with a total earnings of $34.6m, the Welshman has Real Madrid to thank for $28.6m – with a further $6m coming by the way of endorsements.
Like Pogba, Bale’s is also sponsored by Adidas and the pair are two of Adidas’s biggest stars in Europe.
Adidas made Bale the focus of their Z.N.E range when it was launched.
Bale’s lighting speed also offers Adidas the chance to get one over their rivals, the boots are marketed towards players who see themselves as the quickest on the pitch and the Welshman is the perfect example to model these ranges.
Incidentally, you can see Bale in action this weekend with the help of this Eibar vs Real Madrid live stream information.
3. Neymar
Brazilian superstar is next up on the list which is no surprise given that French giants parted with a fee reported to be €222m according to BBC Sport, when they signed the tricky attacker from Barcelona in the summer of 2017.
According to Forbes Neymar earns $90m, more than double what Bale earns. There is clearly a massive gap between the top three stars and everyone else.
Neymar’s salary and bonuses make up $73m of his earning, the 26-year-old makes a whopping $17m from endorsements and the Brazilian is backed by some of the world’s biggest companies.
Neymar’s sponsors include Nike, Red Bull, Gillette, Beats by Dre and surprisingly McDonald’s.
The fact that a fast-food giant is one of the athlete’s major sponsors says it all about Neymar’s star power.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the rich list, the Portuguese could well steal the top spot from his rival Lionel Messi next year given that this list won’t take into account the money the star will pocket from making a shock move to Juventus in the summer.
The 33-year-old earns an astonishing $108m, but the main difference which sets apart Ronaldo and Messi from their counterparts is the amount the global stars make from their endorsement deals.
Ronaldo’s salary and bonus make up $61m while his endorsements net him $47m, a stark contrast in comparison to his counterparts.
Ronaldo is a fashion icon worldwide because of his incredible physique, he is a star man for the of Nike and EA Sports, Nike even went as far as tying the star down to a $1billion lifetime deal at the end of 2016.
1. Lionel Messi
Ronaldo may have pipped Messi to the Ballon d’Or but the Argentine can rest easy knowing that he sits on the top spot of the prestigious Forbes list.
Messi earns $111m – just $3 million dollars separate the Barcelona star from his rival Ronaldo.
Messi’s income from Barcelona amounts to $84m while endorsements account for $27m. Ronaldo is clearly seen as the bigger star by brands but Barcelona are clearly parting with a mouthwatering amount to ensure that Messi stays at the Camp Nou for his entire career.
Who do you think will make up the top 5 next year?