#10 Thierry Henry (France)
€57m
Legendary French striker Thierry Henry had moved from Arsenal to Barcelona in 2007 for €20 million (£16m) and signed a four-year deal with the Catalan club worth €5.6m (£4.6m) a season.
In 2010, Henry became the highest paid player in MLS, when he joined New York Redbulls, surpassing David Beckham’s earnings. Although his base salary dropped to €2.7m (£2.2m) in 2013, with bonuses Henry is still estimated to earn €3.2m (£2.6m) per year.
Henry is the public face of PUMA and also promotes Red Bull and has a string of business and stock market investments.
His properties include a €6.8m (£5.6m) home in London, and a luxury apartment in New York that cost €11.1m (£9.2m).
#9 Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
€63m
Juventus purchased Gianluigi Buffon for €50 million (£35m) from Parma in 2001 and he currently earns €4.5m (£3.7m) a year.
A business-minded Buffon purchased 54% of manufacturing company Zucchi, increasing his previous 2% share.
The keeper reaped immediate dividends, with the company's capital increase in December seeing share prices rise by 107%. He has a sponsorship deal with PUMA.
#8 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
€69m
Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Paris saint-Germain in 2012 for an annual salary of €15m (£12.4m).
The Swedish striker is the most expensive football player in the history of the game, thanks to a series of heavy transfers throughout his career. His transfer deals sum up to €169 million (£139m).
Other than Paris, where he is currently residing, Zlatan owns properties in Milan, New York, Stockholm, Malmo and the Swedish ski resort of Are.
He has a sponsorship deal with Nike, which earns him a seven-figure yearly sum.
#7 Ronaldinho (Brazil)
€78m
In 2003, Ronaldinho moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Barcelona for a massive €30m (£25m).
Later in 2008, he moved to AC Milan for €6.2m (£5.1m) a year, plus around €1.1m (£875,000) a season in bonuses.
The Brazilian magician is currently playing for Mexican side Queretaro after leaving Atletico Mineiro. Ronaldinho endorses Nike and owns property in Brazil, Greece, Barcelona, Lake Como and Florida.
#6 Neymar (Brazil)
€80m
Neymar was a part of one of the most controversial transfers in world football last summer. He joined Barcelona from Santos and was paid a €10m (£8.2m) signing-on fee and also handed a five-year contract for an annual salary of €8.8m (£7.2m).
Neymar endorses Nike, Panasonic, Heliar, VW, Claro, Santander, Guarana Antarctica, Ambev, Red Bull and Unilever which lifted his income as a Santos player to €20m (£16.4m) a year.
He owns a series of properties in Sao Paulo and a yacht worth €5m (£4.1m).
#5 Kaka (Brazil)
€82m
It had been a mixed fortune for Brazilian super-star Kaka who left Real Madrid to join his old club AC Milan. Kaka decided not to continue with Real with whom he had a deal of €9 million (£7.4m) plus bonuses.
He has now signed with MLS franchise Orlando City and is expected to increase his earnings further. He is currently playing for Sao Paulo.
Through commercial deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Sony, Kaka still remains a commendable marketing force. Kaka also earns from real estate investments as he owns several luxury apartments in Manhattan, New York and additional properties in Natal, Madrid and Milan.
#4 Wayne Rooney (England)
€84m
Wayne Rooney had recently signed the biggest contract deal in the history of British football with Manchester United which is worth around €365,000 (£300,000) a week for the next five years. His total earning sums up to €95m (£78m) over the course of 5 years.
The 28-year-old striker fronted campaigns for Nike and Samsung, which earns him around €4m (£3.2m) annually.
Also he signed a five-year book deal with Harper Collins in 2006 - estimated at the time to be worth €6m (£5m) in advances.
#3 Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
€85m
Samuel Eto’o joined Russian Premier League side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011 for a whooping €20 million (£16.5m) salary a year, highest for any footballer. But with changes in the club owner’s goal, the Cameroonian was offered €7m a year salary beyond 2014. He then joined Chelsea on a free transfer for 2013/14. He now plays at Everton.
Even though it has been a huge pay cut for Eto’o, if we consider his earnings in the first 6 months of 2013, it sums up to a huge amount.
Eto’o has a €5m a year sponsorship package with PUMA. His other deals include, Ford and fashion label John Richmond.
#2 Lionel Messi (Argentina)
€146m
Lionel Messi is just behind his on-field rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, when it comes to total earning in a year. He has signed a new deal which would keep him at Barcelona till June 2019.
The Argentine has a long-standing commercial relationship with Adidas, worth €2m (£1.6m) per year.
Messi endorses Turkish Airlines along with Basketball star Kobe Bryant. He is the global face of Fifa range of video games by EA Sports, Samsung's Galaxy 11 and a new campaign for Gatorade. Recently Lionel Messi started endorsing Gillette's "Inner Steel" campaign.
He also owns a string of properties in Rosario, Argentina, including a compound for his family, and also a luxury mansion in Barcelona.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
€148m
The 2013 Ballon d’Or winner who also won the elusive 10th Champions League title with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, is currently the highest earning football player in the world. Ronaldo’s new contract with Madrid, which he signed last summer, is worth €105 million (£86.5m).
Also, the Portuguese has a lucrative contract with Nike which adds to his total earnings.
Among his other tie-ups are, Armani, Castrol Edge, Jacob & Co, Herbalife, Banco Espirito Santo and KFC. Ronaldo owns properties in Madrid, Lisbon and Madeira.
Source: sportskeeda.com
