#6 Ezequiel Lavezzi – £430,125
The Argentine is nowhere near the quality of the players that find themselves here. However, Lavezzi has something that the others don’t: playing for a Chinese club that pay over the odds for rather mediocre players in their 30s.
#5 Gareth Bale – £482,382
Gareth Bale was supposed to be the heir to the throne of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he has spent more time in the recovery pod than the pitch and it won’t be surprising if the Galacticos got rid of him in the summer transfer window of 2019 as it will also ease the wage bill by a huge margin.
#4 Neymar – £633,213
The Brazilian left Barcelona to be his own man at PSG and so far, he has done a great job for the Parisiens. The real challenge is playing well in the Champions League with the French giants. Even without that, however, a player of his quality deserves the amount that he is earning.
#3 Antoine Griezmann – £791,430
Antoine Griezmann made somewhat of a mess with his La Decision video where he revealed his decision of staying at Atletico Madrid instead of joining Barcelona or Manchester United. He is a clever player and a good forward but it is difficult to claim that he deserves being the third-highest-paid player in the world.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo – £990,075
This one was obvious, wasn’t it? Cristiano Ronaldo is the only Juventus player on this list, which, coupled with the urgency with which the Old Lady sent Higuain out on loan, is a testament to how tight Juventus’ wage structure is. Meanwhile, the Portuguese has started his Serie A life very well, making him all the more deserving of his massive wages.
#1 Lionel Messi – £1,221,555
And finally, who else but Lionel Messi? He might have not won the Ballon d’Or last year but for many, he is still the best player in the world. The way he carries Barcelona in almost every game proves that he is still a cut above the rest – which means his wages should also be heads and shoulder above the others.
For more details on wages and market value, click here!