Football is arguably the most popular sport in the world enjoyed by millions of players and followers worldwide. For most of them, football is not just a game, it is like a religion. The best professional footballers are earning more than most other pro-athletes. The richest footballers play in Europe where the sport is held in high regard and financial remuneration higher than on other continents. The greatest superstars of this sport command kingly transfer fees and sign highly lucrative contracts and endorsement deals. The richest of currently active football stars all over the world are listed in this article.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Net worth £250 Million ($321.5 million).

Christiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player to have played the game. he has several records to his name and is poised to set even more before his time is up. He was born Christiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro on the 5th of February 1985. The Maidera native is 5th on Forbes’ list of highest paid celebrities in the world for the year 2017 earning a staggering amount of $93 million. This amount is broken down into $58 million earned from salary and $35 million from his several endorsement deals. One time most expensive footballer in the world when Real Madrid paid Manchester United £80 million for his signature in year 2009, Christiano Ronaldo has continued to be associated with mega deals ever since. As his football profile continued to grow, so did his pocket. His sources of income are his huge salary earned from his lucrative contracts signed with football powerhouses Real Madrid and Manchester United, his numerous endorsement deals and his chain of businesses. He makes money from endorsing renowned brands like Motorola, Nike, Armani and Tag Heuer. Apart from representing several brands globally, Christiano Ronaldo has succeeded in creating his own brand around the CR7 image. He started with his underwear line but he has expanded to include various other clothing, leisure and also home products. His growing line of CR7 branded products now includes shoes, fragrance, jeans, blankets, gyms and also hotels. Ronaldo has two hotels named Pestana CR7 in Portugal. He recently opened his first gym in conjunction with Crunch in Madrid Spain named CR7 Fitness with some more to follow. The Car collection of Cristiano Ronaldo is quite Large. He owns few of the best luxury cars in the world. The Car brands owned by Cristiano Ronaldo include Maserati, Audi R8, Bentley Continental, Bugatti Veyron, Porsche 911, Rolls Royce and Lamborghini. His cars are valued at $4 million. His Madrid home is valued around $7.1 million. He also bought a house in New York for $18.5 million in 2015. He is the richest active footballer with an estimated value of £250 million.

2. Lionel Messi - Net worth £230 million ($295 million).

Coming up in second place on this list is none other than Ronaldo’s nemesis, the diminutive Argentine named Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. Leo was born on 24th of June 1987 in Rosario Argentina. He ranks up there with some of the greatest talents to ever step foot on a football pitch. There is no limit to what the “little magician” can do with a ball at his feet, he is sleek and pleasing to the eye whenever he’s moving with the ball. His successes on the pitch have earned him a lot of money mostly from signing lucrative contracts with his club F.C. Barcelona as well as endorsement deals with various companies. Lionel Messi earns about $70 million a year. He makes £21 million ($27 million) of that amount a year by endorsing brands Adidas, Pepsi, Gillette, and Turkish Airlines. Messi just like Ronaldo has ventured into the business world. Following in his rival’s footsteps, Messi bought a £26m luxury hotel in a beach town close to Barcelona. The Car brands owned by Lionel Messi include Mercedes, Ferrari, Bentley etc. His cars have a net worth of $5 million. His house in Argentina cost him $2 million in 2009. His net worth is about £230 million.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimović – Net worth £110 million ($141 million).

Zlatan Ibrahimović is another superstar who has earned himself several accolades over the years for his footballing prowess resulting in huge financial remuneration for the highly respected swede. He is well loved in his native Sweden where he is the best player to have ever come from that part of the world. His career has taken him to a number of football clubs over the years including the likes of Ajax, Juventus, Ac Milan, PSG, Manchester United and most recently he signed for MLS franchise LA Galaxy where he currently plies his trade. Zlatan earned $32 million last year mostly from his Manchester United contract. He has an endorsement deal worth $4 million with Nike and also he makes money from other endorsements with Bonnier, Volvo, Nivea and Dressman. He recently launched his own clothing line called A-Z. His Manchester house which he bought in 2016 for $6 million has continued to appreciate while his cars are valued at $3 million. His net worth is put at £110 million.

4. Wayne Rooney – Net worth £100 million ($136 million).


The former Manchester United captain is next with a net value of around £100 million. The former England captain was on a huge £300,000-a-week deal at Manchester United but that figure has reportedly been reduced by around 50% when he signed again for his boyhood club Everton. Rooney’s boot sponsorship deal is with Nike and is reportedly worth £1m a year to the 31-year-old. He has also had deals with Harper Collins, EA Sports and Coca-Cola. His cars are estimated to have a net value of $5 million and his house which he bought for $16 million in 2014 has continued to appreciate. Rooney likes to keep his business decisions very low and has not been associated with any major business venture. In 2013, he was reported as being part of a partnership, along with cricketer Kevin Pietersen and businessman-turned-TV-personality Theo Paphitis, that invested in small businesses.



5. Neymar Jr - Net worth £96.8 Million ($132 million).


The Brazilian recently surpassed both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to weekly salary by joining Paris Saint-Germain. As a result of this move, recent estimates put Neymar’s net worth at around €110m, which is a rise from the €90m figure reported prior to his record move to Paris. With the amount of wealth he has acquired at 26 years of age, clearly there’s nothing stopping him from topping a list of this nature in the not too distant future considering all those currently above him on this list are above 30. Some of his many sponsorship deals include partnerships with Nike, Gillette, Beats Electronics and Red Bull. Neymar has tried his hands on a few other endeavours aside football. He appeared in the new ‘Bleep: Return of Xander Cage’ movie and he also released his own emojis for download. The Car brands owned by Neymar include Range Rover, Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Ferrari. All his cars are valued at $4 million. His home in his country Brazil is valued at $4.5 million.

6. Eden Hazard – Net worth £77 million ($100 million).

The Chelsea and Belgium International is highly rated as one of the best players currently in the game. His creativity, superb passing, speed and technical ability are widely acknowledged earning him comparison with Messi and Ronaldo. He has represented just two clubs so far in his senior career, Lille in France and his current club Chelsea winning the league title with both clubs. He has also won the Europa league title with Chelsea. Hazard currently earns £12.4 million ($16 million) per year at Chelsea. The Belgian attacking midfielder is sponsored by Nike but also endorses trading card company Topps and Biscoff biscuit manufacturers Lotus Bakeries. His luxury cars are valued at $4.8 million while his house in Belgium is valued at $3.8 million. He is currently valued at $100 million.

7. Gareth Bale - Net worth £56 million ($72 million).

The Welshman has become one of the highest-paid players in the world at the Santiago Bernabeu following his record breaking move from Tottenham. He may not have reached the heights expected of him yet when he signed for Real Madrid, he is still one of the best in the business currently. Real Madrid pays Gareth Bale £18.2 million ($23.4 million) a year. The Welsh wizard is contractually-tied to the La Liga giants until 2022. His sponsorship agreements with Adidas, Electronic Arts, Sony, Nissan and Footlocker are worth £9 million ($11.5 million) a year. Bale is yet to delve fully into the business world but he has established a company called Primesure Limited to manage his own affairs. It has three shareholders; Bale himself owns 60 per cent of the company and his parents have 20 per cent each. The Car brands owned by Gareth Bale include Lamborghini, Range Rover, Audi and Mercedes Benz. He has twelve luxury cars valued at $3.8 million. His Madrid home is valued at $2.5 million. At just 27 years of age, expect much more from the man. His net worth is currently put at £56 million.

8. Sergio Agüero - Net worth £52.54 million ($71 million).

The Manchester City striker is eight on the list. He is one of the deadliest around in his department of the game. He has played for Atletico Madrid in Spain where he won the Europa league and UEFA Super Cup titles. With his current club, he has won the EPL, the EFL and the Community Shield. Agüero is paid £10.6 million ($14.6 million) a year by Manchester City. He earns about £6 million ($8 million) more from his sponsors, Puma and Pepsi and Nissan. He has four luxury cars valued at $2.8 million and also, his home in Manchester is valued at about $2.83 million.

9. Yaya Touré - Net worth £51.4 million ($70 million).

Coming in at number nine is the Ivorian Yaya Touré. The elite midfielder currently plays for Manchester City after moving from Barcelona. It is no news the aging midfielder is past his peak and was rumoured to be on his way out of the club last summer only for him to stay on. He is rumoured to have accepted a pay cut to extend his stay at the Etihad. He was previously earning £12.58 million ($17 million). He has endorsement deals with Nissan and Puma earning an additional $3 million from all his endorsements. He has five luxury cars including a Rolls Royce Phantom valued at £350000. His cars are valued at $6 million. He is a champions league winner and has won the league titles in both England and Spain. He has also won the African Nations Cup for his country Ivory Coast. A four-time African Footballer of the year award winner, Yaya has surely paid his dues and will surely be remembered as one of the greats of the game when he finally calls time on his career. Not much is known about his business dealings. He is valued at £51.4 million.

10. John Terry – Net worth £39 million ($50 million).

Veteran defender, John Terry recently left Chelsea as the club’s most successful player of all time. However, his football career is far from over as he joined Aston Villa in July 2017 on a £4 million ($5 million) per year deal. John Terry has 8 luxury cars valued at $3 million. His mansion which he bought in 2011 is currently valued at $4.9 million. John Terry lost a lot of brand value due to his numerous indiscretions leading to his former top sponsor Umbro dropping him. John is however fondly remembered by Chelsea faithfuls as he captained the club during its most successful era yet. He won five league titles in England, the EFL cup, FA Cup, FA community Shield. He also won both the European Champions league and Europa league titles during his time with Chelsea.

https://www.htrends.com.ng/2018/05/top-10-richest-footballers-in-world.html?m=1

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