FORBES Ranking of Highest Paid Pro Soccer Players
Lionel Messi And rival Cristiano Ronaldo are locked in a battle on and off the field … who earns the most and who is the top goal scorer for all time? Here is a recap on their earnings.
Imagine having more money than you know what to do with? And earning it by playing the beautiful game in front of cheering fans who adore you? Well, that is the reality for the world’s highest-paid athletes, and according to Forbes, the athletes claiming the top spot are soccer players.
And while these two superstar soccer players compete for the highest earnings, they also battle it out on the field. Recently, the 33-year-old Messi reached a major milestone, scoring 1,000 career goals and assists (full international and club games).
Ronaldo, who is 18 months older than Messi and ranks above him on the RSSSF (Soccer Statistics Foundation) all-time goal scoring chart is a machine when it comes to finding the back of the net, scoring 25 goals in just thirty Juventus games.
But as money can be king, here is the recap of their financial earnings.
#1 Lionel Messi
The highest paid athlete in the world is Lionel Messi. The star of the Barcelona team first suited up for this team in 2003 and is currently under contract through 2021, earning $92 Million annually.
As of 6/11/19, Lionel Messi was reported to earn a total of $127 million dollars. His sponsors include Adidas, Gatorade, Huawei, Mastercard, and Pepsi. This is a record-breaking sum.
Messi earns $347,945 per day
And, yes, taxes have been an issue for this goal-scoring legend. Although he was sentenced to 21 months after convicted by the Spanish courts of tax fraud in 2016, the sentence was reduced to a $250,000 fine.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
The second highest paid athlete in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Real Madrid star joined Juventus in 2018 and is reported to have taken a $64 million dollar pay cut. His Juventus salary of $65 Million may seem high but when you remember that “within 24 hours of release, Juventus sold 520,000 Ronaldo jerseys worth over $60 million.”
As of 6/11/19, Cristiano Ronaldo was reported to earn a total of $109 Million dollars. His sponsors include Nike, Altice, DAZN, Electronic Arts, Herbalife, and MTG.
Ronaldo earns $298,630 per day
This Portuguese star followed by nearly 400 million on social media also had tax issues and was fined $21 million.
