THE TOP TEN RICHEST FOOTBALLER IN THE WORLD

10. Thierry Henry €57m
He moved from Arsenal to Barcelona in
2007 for €20 million (£16m) and signed a
four-year deal with the Catalan club
worth €5.6m (£4.6m) a season.
In 2010, Henry became the highest paid
player in MLS, when he joined New York
Redbulls, surpassing David Beckham’s
earnings. Although his base salary dropped
to €2.7m (£2.2m) in 2013, with bonuses
Henry is still estimated to earn €3.2m
(£2.6m) per year.
Henry is the public face of PUMA and also
promotes Red Bull he also has a string of
business and stock market investments.
His properties include a €6.8m (£5.6m)
home in London, and a luxury apartment
in New York that cost €11.1m (£9.2m).
9. Gianluigi Buffon €63m
Juventus purchased Gianluigi Buffon for
€50 million (£35m) from Parma in 2001
and he currently earns €4.5m (£3.7m) a
year.
A business-minded Buffon purchased 54%
of manufacturing company Zucchi,
increasing his previous 2% share.
The keeper reaped immediate dividends,
with the company's capital increase in
December seeing share prices rise by 107%.
He has a sponsorship deal with PUMA.
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic €69m
Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Paris saint-
Germain in 2012 for an annual salary of
€15m (£12.4m).
The Swedish striker is the most expensive
football player in the history of the game,
thanks to a series of heavy transfers
throughout his career. His transfer deals
sum up to €169 million (£139m).
Other than Paris, where he is currently
residing, Zlatan owns properties in Milan,
New York, Stockholm, Malmo and the
Swedish ski resort of Are.
He has a sponsorship deal with Nike,
which earns him a seven-figure yearly
sum.
7. Ronaldinho €78m
In 2003, Ronaldinho moved from Paris
Saint-Germain to Barcelona for a massive
€30m (£25m).
Later in 2008, he moved to AC Milan for
€6.2m (£5.1m) a year, plus around €1.1m
(£875,000) a season in bonuses.
The Brazilian magician is currently
playing for Mexican side Queretaro after
leaving Atletico Mineiro. Ronaldinho
endorses Nike and owns property in Brazil,
Greece, Barcelona, Lake Como and Florida.
6. Neymar €80m
Neymar was a part of one of the most
controversial transfers in world football
last summer. He joined Barcelona from
Santos and was paid a €10m (£8.2m)
signing-on fee and also handed a five-year
contract for an annual salary of €8.8m
(£7.2m).
Neymar endorses Nike, Panasonic, Heliar,
VW, Claro, Santander, Guarana Antarctica,
Ambev, Red Bull and Unilever which lifted
his income as a Santos player to €20m
(£16.4m) a year.
He owns a series of properties in Sao Paulo
and a yacht worth €5m (£4.1m).
5. Kaka €82m
It had been a mixed fortune for Brazilian
super-star Kaka who left Real Madrid to
join his old club AC Milan. Kaka decided
not to continue with Real with whom he
had a deal of €9 million (£7.4m) plus
bonuses.
He has now signed with MLS franchise
Orlando City and is expected to increase his
earnings further. He is currently playing
for Sao Paulo.
Through commercial deals with Adidas, EA
Sports and Sony, Kaka still remains a
commendable marketing force. Kaka also
earns from real estate investments as he
owns several luxury apartments in
Manhattan, New York and additional
properties in Natal, Madrid and Milan.
4. Wayne Rooney €84m
Wayne Rooney had recently signed the
biggest contract deal in the history of
British football with Manchester United
which is worth around €365,000
(£300,000) a week for the next five years.
His total earning sums up to €95m (£78m)
over the course of 5 years.
The 28-year-old striker fronted campaigns
for Nike and Samsung, which earns him
around €4m (£3.2m) annually.
Also he signed a five-year book deal with
Harper Collins in 2006 - estimated at the
time to be worth €6m (£5m) in advances.
3. Samuel Eto'o €85m
Samuel Eto’o joined Russian Premier
League side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011
for a whooping €20 million (£16.5m)
salary a year, highest for any footballer.
But with changes in the club owner’s goal,
the Cameroonian was offered €7m a year
salary beyond 2014. He then joined
Chelsea on a free transfer for 2013/14. He
now plays at Everton.
Even though it has been a huge pay cut for
Eto’o, if we consider his earnings in the
first 6 months of 2013, it sums up to a
huge amount.
Eto’o has a €5m a year sponsorship
package with PUMA. His other deals
include, Ford and fashion label John
Richmond.
2. Lionel Messi €146m
Lionel Messi is just behind his on-field
rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, when it comes to
total earning in a year. He has signed a
new deal which would keep him at
Barcelona till June 2019.
The Argentine has a long-standing
commercial relationship with Adidas,
worth €2m (£1.6m) per year.
Messi endorses Turkish Airlines along with
Basketball star Kobe Bryant. He is the
global face of Fifa range of video games by
EA Sports, Samsung's Galaxy 11 and a new
campaign for Gatorade. Recently Lionel
Messi started endorsing Gillette's "Inner
Steel" campaign.
He also owns a string of properties in
Rosario, Argentina, including a compound
for his family, and also a luxury mansion
in Barcelona.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo €148m
The 2013 Ballon d’Or winner who also
won the elusive 10th Champions League
title with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo,
is currently the highest earning football
player in the world. Ronaldo’s new
contract with Madrid, which he signed last
summer, is worth €105 million (£86.5m).
Also, the Portuguese has a lucrative
contract with Nike which adds to his total
earnings.
Among his other tie-ups are, Armani,
Castrol Edge, Jacob & Co, Herbalife, Banco
Espirito Santo and KFC. Ronaldo owns
properties in Madrid, Lisbon and Madeira.
Goal