Messi tops Ronaldo as football’s richest player

 

Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football – ahead of his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Influential magazine France Football compiled a list of the top 10 best-paid players in 2019, which predictably saw Messi and Ronaldo sit first and second.

Messi made a staggering £120million last year, £11m more than Ronaldo after his first full campaign at Italian champions Juventus.

The figures are made up of wages, bonuses, endorsements, commercial revenue and other streams.

The duo were also the only players to surpass the £100m mark, as PSG superstar Neymar collected £87m for his efforts last year while Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale received £35.45m in what has been a dramatic fall from grace during his career at the Spanish giants.

Bale narrowly pips Antoine Griezmann to fourth, with the Frenchman earning £200,000 less than the former Tottenham winger.

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was the only Premier League player and Englishman to make the list, raking in £30.96m during the calendar year as Pep Guardiola’s men secured an unprecedented English domestic Treble.

A surprise inclusion on the list is legendary Spanish and Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Despite leaving the Nou Camp for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018, Iniesta is still cashing home having earned £31.14m in 2019.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski comes in at number nine with a haul of £26.56m.

And Kylian Mbappe joins PSG team-mate Neymar on the list, having earned £24.73m last year to complete the top 10 list.