10 footballers with the highest weekly wages in the world

Since the advent of televised sport, football has gradually grown into one of the largest television products in the world. Football currently commands viewerships that are unparalleled in sport, and leagues like the Premier League and La Liga have strong overseas followings that bring in large sums of money in the form of television rights.

This increased influx of money has been matched by significant increases in player wages as clubs offer their star players a host of financial benefits to keep them at the club. The same can be said of clubs who look to acquire talented players, who usually do so by offering them more money than their parent club can afford to.

A prime example of increasing wages is the Premier League, where the average footballer's wage increased from £20 a week in 1961 to around £33,868 per week in the span of fifty years. While the growth in football wages was already rapid, the emergence of the Chinese Super League has precipitated this growth, with several talented players moving to China for exorbitant amounts of money. In this list, we take a look at some of the most highly paid footballers that are currently plying their trade.

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#10 Paul Pogba - £290,000

The Frenchman made headlines in 2016 when he returned to Manchester United for a world-record fee of £89m, four seasons after he left the club on a free transfer. Pogba signed a five-year contract with United with a wage set at £290,000 per week. This made him the highest-paid footballer in the Premier League, a title which he still holds.

Pogba enjoyed a successful first season at Manchester United, winning the Europa League, the League Cup and the Community Shield. The French midfielder was key to Jose Mourinho's side and linked up well with Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He began the 2017-18 season in similar fashion, scoring two goals and assisting twice in four games before he was sidelined by an injury. Pogba returned to action in United's win over Newcastle on Saturday, scoring and assisting to help United win 4-1.

#9 Antoine Griezmann - £290,000

Antoine Griezmann signed a contract extension in 2017

Antoine Griezmann was at the centre of considerable speculation in the summer of 2017 and was linked heavily with a move to Barcelona. However, the French striker chose to stay at Atletico Madrid, signing a contract extension that will keep him at the club till 2022.

While his departure seems inevitable, especially with a relatively affordable release clause of £100m that will do little to deter Barcelona, the French striker is far from underpaid, bringing home close to £290,000-per-week.

Griezmann began his professional career at Real Sociedad in the Segunda Division, helping them win promotion to La Liga in his first season as a senior player. He spent five seasons at the club until Atletico Madrid signed him from Real Sociedad in 2014 for a sum believed to be close to his £24m buy-out clause.

The striker has since become a lynchpin of Atletico Madrid's attack, scoring 86 goals in 173 appearances.

#8 Graziano Pelle - £300,000

Graziano Pelle's salary quadruples after joining Shandong Luneng

Graziano Pelle moved to China in 2016, after Chinese club Shandong Luneng paid Southampton an estimated fee of £12 million. While the transfer amount was relatively modest, Pelle became the world's fifth highest-paid footballer at the time, raking in an annual amount equivalent to £13.5 million.

Pelle is currently earning close to £300,000-per-week, just shy of four times the £80,000 he was pocketing at Southampton.

The Italian scored his first goal for Shandong Luneng on 20th July, on his second appearance for the club. Since then the Italian striker has scored 12 goals in 41 appearances for Shandong, striking up a partnership with former Newcastle striker Papiss Demba Cisse.

#7 Hulk - £320,000

Hulk has consistently been one of the highest paid footballers in the world over the last decade

Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, otherwise known as Hulk, joined Chinese club Shanghai SIPG in 2016 from Zenit Saint Petersburg for a fee reported to be in the region of £45 million. The transfer sum was a record for Asian transfers at the time, but it was quickly broken again by Shanghai SIPG when they acquired Hulk's Brazilian compatriot Oscar from Chelsea.

Along with the mouth-watering transfer fee, Hulk's move meant that he would earn even more than he was already earning at Zenit with a weekly wage of £320,000.

Hulk has taken to the Chinese Super League like a duck to water, scoring 30 goals in 46 appearances for Shanghai SIPG. He was featured in the Chinese Super League Team of the Year for 2017 and has already become a club icon.

#6 Cristiano Ronaldo - £365,000

Ronaldo is the world's highest-earning athlete in 2017 according to Forbes

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the world's highest-paid athlete, earning a reported £70 million in 2017. The Portuguese star has several high-profile endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Tag Heuer and Herbalife, which have earned him £27 million in the last 12 months.

Ronaldo's wages have also contributed significantly to his net worth, but he is much less reliant on his weekly salary than the likes of Messi and Neymar, earning a comparatively modest £365,000.

This figure was proved during Cristiano Ronaldo's trial for tax evasion, where he revealed documents stating that he receives £19 million per year. However, this may soon change, with the Portuguese star demanding a contract extension and a pay-raise to rival the one offered to Messi by Barcelona.

#5 Oscar - £400,000

Oscar signed for Shanghai SIPG for a record deal in 2016

Oscar ruffled quite a few feathers when he chose to move to China in 2016, with several notable footballing personalities criticising the move. The brouhaha surrounding Oscar was primarily about the fact that he was a promising youngster who could have chosen to stay in Europe and play at a higher level, instead of playing in China for the money.

Chelsea sold Oscar to Shanghai SIPG for an extravagant sum of £60 million, a sum which became the Asian transfer record. The Brazilian was also offered a significant pay-rise by Shanghai, with his £400,000-per-week wages being nearly quadrupling the amount that he was paid by Chelsea.

Oscar plays as a midfielder for Shanghai SIPG, alongside Brazilian compatriots Hulk and Elkeson. He has scored 6 goals in 31 appearances for the Chinese side, and helped them to a third-place finish in the Chinese Super League in 2017.

#4 Ezequiel Lavezzi - £400,000

Lavezzi is currently one of the highest paid players in China

Ezequiel Lavezzi moved to Hebei China Fortune from Paris Saint-Germain in a move estimated to be worth £23.5m. While there were rumours that the Argentinian was earing close to £700,000-per-week, but that figure was disproved promptly, with Hebei China confirming that he earns weekly wages worth £400,000.

Proceedings have been far from smooth for Lavezzi, and his stint at China has been marked by poor performances and controversy. Lavezzi missed out on a large portion of his first season at Hebei, and scored no goals in his 10 appearances for the club.

He was also the subject of significant backlash on social media after pictures of him striking a racist pose in a photo shoot went viral. However, Lavezzi has managed to justify his wage packet in the last season, scoring 20 goals in 27 league games.

#3 Lionel Messi - £500,000

Lionel Messi received a massive pay raise in the summer of 2017

Lionel Messi has become a household name over the last 10 years and has come to be known as one of the best footballers to have ever graced the sport. His status as a global icon has brought him several endorsement deals and sponsorships, which has only served to raise his stock. The Argentinian currently sits third on Forbes' list of the highest-paid athletes in the world, behind LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo.

While a large part of his net worth comes from his long range of endorsement deals, a significant chunk of it also comes from his weekly salary. Messi is rumoured to earn close to £500,000-per-week, which works out to an annual salary of £35 million with add-ons.

Neymar's departure may allow Barcelona to further improve Messi's wages, and although Messi's contract will expire in 2018, he could be signing an improved deal soon.

#2 Neymar - £600,000

Neymar signed for PSG in a world-record transfer deal worth £198m

Neymar made headlines in the summer of 2017 after moving to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in a record deal worth £198m. The Brazilian purportedly earns £600,000-per-week, making him the second highest-paid footballer in the world in terms of wages.

Neymar is currently 18th on the Forbes list of highest-paid footballers and was named most marketable athlete by SportsPro in 2012 and 2013.

The former Santos star has begun his stint at Paris Saint-Germain in spectacular fashion, scoring 11 goals in 13 appearances for Les Parisiens. However, his first few months have been marred by problems in the dressing room, including a public disagreement with team-mate Edinson Cavani over penalty kicks. His lavish lifestyle has also drawn criticism in recent weeks, with PSG coach Unai Emery having to defend the striker.

#1 Carlos Tevez - £634,000

Carlos Tevez earns £634,000 per week, which roughly works out to £1 per second

Carlos Tevez became an overnight sensation in 2016 after he was approached by Shanghai Shenhua for a potential move. Rumours of an estimated annual salary of £35 million started doing the rounds on social media, and breakdowns of his wages could be seen in several major football publications. His weekly wage of £634,000 made him the highest-paid footballer in the world, a title he still holds.

By all accounts, Tevez has proven to be an immensely expensive signing for Shanghai Shenhua, and the Argentinian has scored only twice for the Chinese club. He has also repeatedly spoken about being homesick, provoking the ire of Shanghai fans, who have taken to calling him 'very homesick boy' in Chinese.