When it comes to world-class football players, we often think of the biggest and best players in the world or those that play for our favorite team. Some of these players command a fee that not only makes them the most expensive player on their team but maybe even in the league as well, such as Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
Here are eleven exciting facts about some of the highest-paid players in the football world and some of the most famous players.
And this article will talk about these exciting facts
1. Kaka is the Only Player in the Top Ten Who Never Played for a British Club
Brazilian player Ricardo Izecson dos Santos more famously known as Kaká, is one of the highest earners in football. He has a yearly salary of $20 million and a weekly wage of $285,000 from his club at Real Madrid. But what is interesting about Kaká is that he is the only player in the top ten who never played for a British club.
2. David Beckham Makes Over $80 Million per Year
Another famous English football player, David Beckham, earns over $80 million per year from his endorsements with companies like Adidas and Motorola. But if you think this makes him the highest-paid footballer in terms of endorsements, you’re wrong: he earns the third most in endorsement income. Ronaldo is number one, and Lionel Messi is second.
3. The 2009 Ballon d’Or Winner Plays for the Spanish Team
The 2009 winner of the Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi, made history when he became the first player to win four consecutive awards. He also plays for Barcelona FC, one of the best teams in Spain. It is interesting to note that every time Messi won the award, it was announced on 7 January 2010.
4. The Third Highest Paid Player is the Youngest of the Top Ten
Twenty-two-year-old Wesley Sneijder is one of the highest-paid football players in Europe, earning $7.2 million per year playing for Inter Milan and making over $300,000 per week. Interestingly, Sneijder is the third highest-paid player in Europe, earning $4 million more than Lionel Messi. Wesley Sneijder is also the youngest of the top ten football players.
5. Ten Percent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Salary Goes to Charity
It is not surprising that Cristiano Ronaldo has several sponsorship deals with companies like Armani, Castrol Edge, and Konami. But what is surprising is that ten percent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary goes to charity.
6. The Highest-Paid Player in Africa is an Egyptian
Yaya Touré, an influential midfielder for Barcelona FC, earns $10 million per year playing for the Spanish team. Interestingly, he is one of the highest-paid football players in Africa, second only to Samuel Eto’o. But while Samuel Eto’o plays for Inter Milan, Yaya Touré plays for Barcelona FC, which has won more than 22 major trophies in its history.
7. Landon Donovan Makes $2 Million per Year
Landon Donovan also makes $2 million per year playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy. And this is surprising because he was not even among the top ten highest-paid football players in 2009. He was named one of the ‘Top 30 Most Influential People in U.S. Soccer’ by Sports Illustrated magazine and one of the ‘Best MLS Players of the Decade’ by MLSSoccer.com and Fox Sports.
8. The Highest Paid Football Player in Asia is an Egyptian Too
It should not come as a surprise that several Egyptian football players are on the list of highest-paid footballers like Yaya Touré and Mohamed Aboutrika. Aboutrika, who plays for the Egyptian team, also makes $6.4 million as a yearly salary and over $500,000 as a weekly wage. He is one of the highest-paid football players in Asia.
9. There Was Only One American Football Player on the List of Highest-Paid Players
It should not surprise that almost all football players on this list play for European football teams and earn millions of dollars. American football players like Claudio Reyna and Landon Donovan were the only two Americans on the highest-paid football player list until recently when Michael Ballack joined them.
10. The Difference Between Ronaldo’s Salary and Messi’s Earnings is $4 Million
Oddly enough, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both make $15 million yearly. But while Messi makes $8 million as a weekly wage, Ronaldo makes $12 million as a weekly wage. The difference is about $4 million.
11. No Women Were on the Highest-Paid Football Player List
There were no women to be found on the highest-paid football players list, but there were none anywhere to be found. It is interesting to note that Mia Hamm was once earning $1 million per year playing for the U.S. women’s team, and she was named FIFA World Player of the Year twice in her soccer career.
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Conclusion
Apart from the footballer’s net worth, most people will ask what cars do footballers drive? The highest-paid football players are also known to have expensive cars, with luxury car brands like BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Audi being the most common.
