#4 Gareth Bale
The Welshman grabbed the headlines of late with his awe-inspiring bicycle kick against Liverpool that won Real Madrid their 13th Champions League title, fourth in the last five years.
Bale was bought by Real Madrid for a record-breaking transfer fee of £90m in 2013. Since then, he has inspired Los Blancos to a La Liga, 4 Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups and 2 FIFA Club World Cups.
Recently, in a post-match television interview, the 28-year-old hinted at a move away from the club due to the dearth of game time under Zidane.
As of now, the Welsh international grosses $34.6m annually with $6m from endorsements and a salary of $28.6m.
Edited by Jay M