10 highest paid footballers in the world in 2015

8) Radamel Falcao (#38)

Falcao was not able to recapture his old form at Manchester United

Earnings: $25.9m [Salary – $21.9m, Endorsements – $4m]

Falcao generated a lot of excitement among the Old Trafford faithful when he was signed, but he could not really live up to expectations due to injuries and a lack of confidence. The Colombian dropped from 15th in 2014 to 38th in this year’s rankings. The major reason for this could be a drop in salary from $32.4 million to $21.9 million.

Even though he had a poor season with Manchester United his endorsement income has gone up from $3m to $4m. Falcao has a five-year personal endorsement deal with Puma and he has also featured in ads with Man City's Sergio Aguero. He has also featured in a promotional campaigns for Hublot watches and endorses Gatorade, Samsung, Gillette and Panini.

He has now joined Chelsea, but has failed to help the Premier League side recover from their slump.

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7) Wayne Rooney (#34)

Rooney signed £300,000 a week contract extension last year

Earnings: $26.9m [Salary – $19.9m, Endorsements – $7m]

The Manchester United captain climbed from #43 to #34 this year. Wayne Rooney signed a contract extension with Manchester United in February 2014, which will see him stay at Old Trafford till 2019. This deal involves a basic wage of £250,000 a week, but with commercial rights making it more lucrative for the player, it could go up to £300,000. The deal will earn the 28-year-old Manchester United striker more than £70m over the next five-and-a-half years.

He has a 12-year book deal with HarperCollins signed in 2006 for £5m. In addition to that, he has sponsorship deals with Nike and Samsung which see him earn £1.8m a year. Rooney’s brand value has gone down significantly which saw companies like EA Sports and Coca Cola ending their association with him in 2011 and 2012. Transfermkt values him at €45m.