5) Gareth Bale
Trending
The Welshman was the most expensive footballer when Real Madrid signed him from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Though Paul Pogba has now snatched the title from him, Bale’s performances for Real Madrid plus the 2 Champions League trophies he won in the last 3 years has boosted his place up in this list.
His earnings sum up to $34 million of which his salary and winnings constitute $24 million.
Some of his major sponsors are Adidas, Sony Xperia and BT Sport. He also had inked a deal with Ziptel to share their app with his 42 million followers on social media. Bale’s endorsements are valued at $10 million.
4) Neymar
The poster boy of Brazilian football is a highly recognised face in football. Be it the typical samba-style flair he brings to his game or the rockstar persona off the field, Neymar Jr invariably turns the eyeballs towards him. The Barcelona winger is one of the most coveted attackers on the planet and earns about $36 million.
Interestingly, the 2015 Ballon d’Or finalist pulls in more from his endorsements than from his footballing wages. His salary and bonuses amount to $14 million, which is only just about more than 1/3rd of his total earnings.
His major sponsorship deals with Nike, Rexona, Clear, Panasonic etc land him a cool $22 million, which resonates with his rating as one of, if not, the most marketable footballer in the world.
3) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Manchester United’s new talisman was bound to be placed high on this list. For he is a man who knows how to sell his footballing skills as well as his personality and attitude. A well-travelled footballer and having played for some of the biggest clubs in business, Zlatan’s earnings amount to $37 million.
His remunerations for his footballing skills alone count up to $30 million.
Having signed lucrative deals with global giants like Nike, Volvo, Vitamin Well etc in addition to owning his own range of sportswear named ‘A-Z’, the Swede pulls in about $7 million in endorsements.
2) Lionel Messi
The Barcelona ace only misses out on becoming the highest paid footballer by a whisker. Messi is adored all over the world and is seen by many as the greatest footballer of this generation. 5 Ballon d’Ors and years of phenomenal success with Barcelona tell the story.
His earnings sum up to an eye-popping $77 million of which $51 million is his salary and bonuses from football.
Though he is not as outspoken as some of his rivals, Messi commands huge pulling power. He has inked major deals with Adidas, Gatorade, Lays and EA Sports etc that mirrors his popularity and value.
He was recently seen in an ad for Turkish Airlines with Kobe Bryant which was selected as YouTube’s ‘Ad of the Decade’. His endorsement deals are worth around $26 million.
1) Cristiano Ronaldo
The highest paid footballer on the planet is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. The 3-time Ballon d’Or winner is the perfect example of on-field and off-field superiority among footballers.
The Real Madrid talisman has just won the Euro with Portugal and commands a fanatical following from fans. His earnings amount to a whopping $82 million of which his salary and bonuses constitute $53 million.
He also has a variety of endorsement deals with huge brands like Nike, Tag Heuer, Clear, Pestana Hotel Groups etc. He has also recently signed a mega-million dollar 6-year image rights deal with billionaire Peter Lim’s company Capital which owns brands like Turk Telecom, XTrade etc. His endorsements fetch him a neat sum of $29 million.
