Top earning footballers

“Money
Get away
You get a good job with good pay and you’re okay
Money
It’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team”

Pink Floyd

Some people complain footballers are paid extraordinary money for kicking the ball around while regular folks struggle to pay for the rent and insurance. Some people sympathize them and say only one out of ten retiring players manages to find a job in the field and the rest have to start some business without a slightest professional background and any kind of education. But whether you like it or not the leading players provide a show for millions of people in front of TV, making them go for season-tickets and buy a super-original, super-light, super-breathing, super-identical idol’s replica shirt for 70 quid. If you are not spending two hours a day reading football articles and following the latest sport trends you might be well surprised to find that a lump amount of footballers’ income does not come from salary and prize money. It is apparel companies, sport shoes giants, cosmetics, automotive producers etc. who capitalize on the images of popular football stars and allow huge gratuities to flow into their pockets.

So who are the top-earning football players these days? Check it out!

5. Kaká

Far from his top form that helped him through to the Ballon D’Or in 2007 the Brazilian still manages to attract sponsorship contracts. Such giants as Adidas, Sony, Armani, EA Sports and even a Guarana soft drink manufacturer add a total of $6.5 million to his $21 million salary at Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Kaká is renowned for being reluctant to spend his fortunes as one of his former AC Milan teammates confessed the Brazilian was not eager to stand a cup of coffee when he did not have any money on him.

4. Samuel Eto’o

Quite surprisingly, a totally different image of the Cameroonian contributed to a similar position in the top-paid footballers’ list. By joining the Russian big-spending Anzhi from Makhachkala Samuel found himself pocketing around $500.000 a week becoming the highest-paid footballer on Earth. With a paycheck of this scale he doesn’t really need to look for sponsorship deals but still enjoys partnership with Puma, Ford and John Richmond. Unlike Kaká the African player is widely known for his charity activity.

3. Lionel Messi

It is not an easy thing to check whether he is earning more or less than his perpetual counterpart CR7, but we will put him third just for grabbing four consecutive Ballon D’Or awards and disappointing the Portuguese. He might arguably be the best footballer ever but his net wages are not even close to the highest in football world. Still, his image of a wonder player and a decent person provides him with countless sponsorship deals with such brands as Adidas, Pepsi, Herbalife, Procter & Gamble, Turkish Airlines, D&G, EA Sports, let alone numerous contracts in Asia. Well deserved, though!

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Immaculate hairstyle, perfect body, fastest legs in football result in countless advertisement offers from all over the world. He is reported to get around $20 million a year extra to his Spanish salary for promoting American super brand Nike, Armani, Coca-Cola, Motorola, Bugatti, Castrol and many more. However, he is still hungry for recognition with just one Golden Ball in hand.

1. David Beckham

Here comes the most phenomenal lad in world football. Upon joining the French Sheikh-owned club Paris Saint-Germain the Englishman did not hesitate to direct all his wages for charity but took the lead in the list of top-earning football players. God only knows how Beckham has managed to keep and enhance the image of a good-looking and most stylish person (well, he does dictate the style, to be precise), a perfect family man (he is a father to four kids) and a media star. And he is in a perfect shape for a 37 year old man, too! Despite football not being the main income source for the Englishman, David is widely known for advertising campaigns of Adidas, Pepsi, H&M and EA Sports. Together with his spouse Beckham owns a number of family brands. In March David has become an ambassador for Chinese football, adding a hefty $50 millions to the family budget. God bless you, David!