The beautiful game of soccer has become one of the most lucrative sports for its players largely due to revenue increases from kits, jersey sponsorships and television rights, fees flowing right to their paychecks.

Elite players are also getting an extra boost in endorsement income from advertisers clamouring to associate with them.

To compile the list of the ten top paid soccer stars by salary, we look at the figures of soccer salaries and endorsements earned in 2013.

Ibrahimovic-Messi-Ronaldo

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

Earnings: $73 million

Salary: $49 million

Endorsements: $24 million

Major Sponsors: Nike, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Herbalife

Following a superb 2013 football season where he scored sixty-nine goals in fifty-nine club and country appearances, also won the 2013 Ballon d’Or, the Portuguese and Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo, got a 5-year record deal worth $206 million that made him the highest football earner in the world.

He also has sponsorship deals with Nike, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Herbalife. He is rated as one of the top highest paid players in the world

2 Lionel Messi, Barcelona

Earnings: $65 million

Salary: $42 million

Endorsements: $23 million

Major Sponsors: Adidas, Samsung, Pepsi, Turkish Airlines, Herbalife

After a record four consecutive years as the Ballon d’Or winner, Messi finished runner up in 2013. Sponsors like Adidas, who launched his signature shoe last year, and Turkish Airlines, who has him most recently appearing with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in a selfie shootout commercial, have invested heavily in Barcelona’s prolific goal scorer. In turn so has the Spanish tax authority who investigated him and his father for image rights tax evasion and ordered him to pay $6.5 million.

3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain

Earnings: $34 million

Salary: $30 million

Endorsements: $4 million

Major Sponsors: Nike, Volvo

The Swedish striker ended his season last year with French side, Paris Saint-Germain, as Ligue 1′s top scorer with 30 goals, the first to reach that feat in over 20 years, and was named its player of the year. Unfortunately, his efforts proved less successful for his country. Despite scoring two goals in a playoff against Portugal in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant hat trick, Sweden lost and failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. He made up for the lack of sponsorships typically signed ahead of that competition with the hype surrounding a commercial for fellow Swede Volvo. In the elaborate movie-like production that received 4.7 million hits on YouTube, he does semi-naked pull-ups, dives into a freezing lake, and hunts to a rendition of the Swedish national anthem.

4 Neymar Jr, Barcelona

Earnings: $28 million

Salary: $12 million

Endorsements: $16 million

Major Sponsors: Nike, Castrol, Panasonic, L’Oreal, Volkswagen

The Brazilian wonder kid move to Barcelona in June 2013 ultimately lead to the indictment and resignation of the club’s president Sandro Rosell for covering up the full transfer cost. As a result, the club lifted its confidentiality clause and revealed Neymar Jr’s signing was worth $124 million, $50 million more than originally reported thanks to several hands involved including Neymar Sr and his former Brazilian club Santos. Of it the player will get $74 million in salary over five years, $13 million of which is a signing bonus. Neymar Jr made the face of the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil. Recent endorsements include Castrol, Police sunglasses and L’Oreal who released the cologne, Drakkar Noir by Neymar.

5 Radamel Falcao, AS Monaco

Earnings: $26 million

Salary: $23 million

Endorsements: $3 million

Major Sponsors: Puma, Samsung, Gillette

After his prolific scoring galore at Atletico Madrid last season in which he scored 34 goals in 41 caps for the club, the Colombian striker nicknamed El Tigre (The Tiger) left Spain’s La Liga for France. The 28-year old struck a 5-year deal that doubled his salary with AS Monaco, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. He picked up Gillette sponsorship deal, fronting a campaign airing in his homeland.

6 Gareth Bale, Real Madrid

Earnings: $24 million

Salary: $15 million

Endorsements: $9 million

Major Sponsors: Adidas, EA Sports, Lucozade

Real Madrid spent a record fee of $118 million September 2013 to sign the 24-year old Welshman from English Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in the second largest transfer of the year after Neymar’s move to Barcelona. It was revealed that his parents, as co-directors with him of a holding company, made $3 million from the 6-year deal that pays him up to $456,000 in weekly wages. When not playing on TV, Bale will be in front of the camera for BT Sport doing commentary as part of a 3-year deal he signed with the sports broadcaster.

7 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United

Earnings: $22 million

Salary: $18 million

Endorsements: $4 million

Major Sponsors: Nike, Samsung, Harper Collins

Rumblings last season of his transfer requests over disagreements with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, two offers from rival Chelsea and Arsenal were swept under the rug this past February when Man U rewarded Rooney with a record 4-year contract extension worth up to $104 million. The deal also calls for the club’s commercial arm to work on the forward’s behalf to seek out lucrative individual endorsements, which could help multiply his earnings. While he’s proven a fan favorite in terms of jersey sales, only Nike and Harper Collins have stuck around long-term to cash in on his marketability.

8 Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

Earnings: $21 million

Salary: $17 million

Endorsements: $4 million

Major Sponsors: Puma, Pepsi, Gillette

Frequent leg injuries in the past two seasons have resulted in intermittent play by the Argentine nicknamed ‘Kun’. That did not prevent Man City from giving him a contract extension with a salary increase in May 2013 that will keep him with the club until 2017. He then tried to share the wealth by offering to buy five players and pay their salaries for his former Argentinean club Independiente. In 2011 Puma made him their highest paid soccer player with a long-term endorsement deal.

9 Yaya Toure, Manchester City

Earnings: $21 million

Salary: $18 million

Endorsements: $3 million

Major Sponsor: Puma

Last April Toure signed a new 4-year deal to stay at Eithad Stadium until 2017. It was reported he was fighting for respect, not money, which could explain why the extension was without an increase on his $334,000 a week salary. That fits his altruistic nature. The younger brother of Liverpool’s Kolo Toure has been outspoken about promoting causes important to his native Ivory Coast and the African continent. He puts his money where his mouth is. He negotiated his Puma boots deal to include a charitable component where by clothing and shoes will be donated to underprivileged in West Africa.

10 Fernando Torres, Chelsea

Earnings: $20 million

Salary: $17 million

Endorsements: $3 million

Major Sponsors: Adidas, Pepsi

After leaving Liverpool in 2011 to join Chelsea, Torres failed to find the back of the net donning the blue shirt in the premiership until the end of the season. Thereafter, he went on to tally 6, 8, and 5 goals, respectively, in three full terms.

The 30-year old Spanish striker has been off form from the force he was four years ago at Liverpool, which led to his average $200,000 a week contract with present club Chelsea. Last year he switched boot sponsors, from Nike to Adidas, the official sponsor of the 2014 World Cup who was wise to attach itself to Spain, top-ranked in the world. He’s been front and center of their campaigns since last November and figures to feature prominently for them throughout the tournament.

The striker finally made his way to Italy as Seria A side AC Milan signed him on.



Anthony Nlebem

Source-BusinessDay