10 highest paid footballers in the world in 2015

6) James Rodriguez (#27)

James Rodriguez moved to Real Madrid after an impressive World Cup display

Earnings: $29m [Salary – $24.5m, Endorsements – $4.5m]

A new entrant to the list, the Real Madrid man debuts at #27 in the rankings. He became a household name after an impressive display at the 2014 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot and also scoring some beautiful goals in the process. This helped him to land a $108m move to Real Madrid.

His salary is a whopping $24.5m a year. And it did not go waste as he had an impressive season, scoring 17 goals and setting up another 15 as well.

The player represents six brands and it is estimated that he will earn €8.5m ($11.5m) from endorsements this year. He posed in his new line of J10 underwear created by his newest sponsor Bronzini Black. Rodriguez recently signed a long-term extension with Adidas and a new deal with Gatorade. He also endorses Hugo Boss, Huawei and Pepsi.

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5) Neymar (#23)

Only Ronaldo and Messi earn more than Neymar through endorsements.

Earnings: $31m [Salary – $14m, Endorsements – $17m]

Neymar is the new poster boy of Brazilian football. He had an amazing season at Barcelona, leading their attack along with Messi and Suarez, making it one of the deadliest attacking forces in modern football. They managed to score 122 goals between them with Neymar scoring 42.

His rankings dropped from #16 in 2014 to #23 in this year’s rankings. But one must remember that he is only just 23 years old and he is already one of the most valued brands in football. His on-field performances has also been spectacular this season.

Neymar star collects $14m a year from Barca, but tops that up with a further $17m from his various partnerships, including those with Red Bull, Panasonic, Unilever, Volkswagen, Konami, Beats by Dre and, of course, his long-standing relationship with Nike.