1. David Beckham

Despite being in the twilight of his career (he turns 36 next month), Beckham continues to be the highest-paid soccer player in the world with total earnings of $40 million last year.

“Beckham is more analogous to a Hollywood star than a footballer,” says Michael Stirling, CEO of Global Sponsors, which manages sponsorship properties worldwide. His appeal as a player has diminished as he enters the final season of his Galaxy contract (he intends to keep playing after this year), but he is a global celebrity that everyone knows.

Beckham added Electronic Arts and Diet Pepsi to his endorsement stable over the past year (he also inked a short-term agreement with Yahoo). His Adidas contract is the biggest in the sport thanks to royalties from soccer apparel and cleats as well as lifestyle lines like ObyO. He also has a cologne deal with Coty and pitches Go3’s Omega-3 line of products,

http://soccerfiesta..com/2011/04/worlds-highest-paid-footballers-in-2011.html

I never cease to be amazed on how this man Beckham has held the media and business world captivated, earning consistently high income from sponsorships and endorsements even more than new generation and popular footballers like C. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi