Brazil
kick-off this month's World Cup against Croatia on Thursday, with most
of the best on show in South America. But who are the stars earning most
money? Sportsmail takes a look at the top 10 highest-paid players - by weekly wage at club level - who will feature in Brazil.
1. Wayne Rooney
Reported Weekly Wage: £300,000
Age: 28
Club: Manchester United
Country: England
Major Sponsors: Harper Collins, Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola
Earning
50p a second, Rooney’s new, terrifyingly profitable contract assures he
takes first place above his fellow superstars. Striker for a Manchester
United side that underperformed last season, he still managed to become
the club’s third top scorer of all time, overtaking George Best and
Ryan Giggs, and as a result, now has an enormous net worth estimated to
be in excess of £60million.
Endorsements
earn him a fair wedge, with lucrative deals including Nike and
Electronic Arts, the computer gaming company which features Rooney on
the front of its best-selling FIFA football games.
He also had his third book, ‘My Decade In The Premier League,’ published in 2012 as part of his deal with Harper Collins.
All smiles: England talisman Wayne Rooney is on £300,000-a-week at Manchester United
Holding the key: Lionel Messi will attempt to win Argentina's first World Cup since 1986
2. Lionel Messi
Reported Weekly Wage: £292,000
Age: 26
Club: Barcelona
Country: Argentina
Major sponsors: Adidas, Turkish Airlines, PepsiCo, Herbalife, EA Sports, Dolce & Gabanna, Adidas, Gillette
Okay, we kind of cheated by putting Rooney first, because the £300,000 a week figure is before tax.
Messi’s contract, signed last year, sees him earn a reported £292,000 AFTER tax in Spain.
He
is often regarded as the best footballer in the world - although he
lost the Ballon d’Or crown to Cristiano Ronaldo this season - so it is
apt he is paid accordingly. His accolades, just like his salary, are
certainly not in short supply.
He
broke the 39-year record for most goals in a European club season in
2012 when he finished the season with 73 goals and has won the Ballon
d’Or a whopping three times. He is also a three-time winner of FIFA
Player of the Year and became the first player to score five goals in a
Champions League match.
In
addition to his gargantuan salary, Messi makes millions more every year
from endorsements, the biggest of which is Adidas, who launched his
'icon signature' line in 2013.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Reported Weekly Wage: £288,000
Age: 29
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Portugal
Major sponsors: Nike, Coca-Cola, Castrol, Konami, Motorola, Herbalife, KFC, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Emporio Armani
Ronaldo
is reported to earn £288,000 after tax, in a deal similar to his La
Liga rival Messi. He is currently reported to be in contract extension
talks with Real Madrid, so he could see himself rocketed to the highest
paid footballer once again soon. Importantly, he also owns a 50-50 share
of his image rights.
His
popularity on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have
translated into big bucks from sponsors like Nike, Castrol and Konami,
all of which he promotes through his own social media accounts.
Not
content with monopolising the advertising world, Ronaldo also launched
himself into the fashion industry as the ‘spokesmodel’ for Emporio
Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans in 2009.
In March, a 'Rich List' compiled by Goal.com was topped by Ronaldo, with an estimated net worth of around £122million.
Frightening talent: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world at the moment
4. Robin Van Persie
Reported Weekly Wage: £250,000
Age: 30
Club: Manchester United
Country: Holland
Major Sponsors: Nike, Adidas, BT Sport, Pepsi
With
many an achievement to his name, including PFA Player of the Year and
the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, it’s no wonder Van Persie
left Arsenal to chase for club honours.
Born
in Rotterdam, Van Persie is currently the all-time top scorer for
Holland. He is also one of world football's top earners. He has been
part of major commercial campaigns for huge corporate brands, including
Nike, BT Sport and Pepsi, all of which have rendered a tidy sum for the
Dutchman.
Twisting and turning: Robin van Persie is set to link-up with Holland coach Louis van Gaal at Man United
In the money: The Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure has had a very public spat with Manchester City recently
5. Yaya Touré
Reported Weekly Wage: £230,000
Age: 31
Club: Manchester City
Country: Ivory Coast
Major Sponsors: Puma, Ford
With
a four-year contract that pays him over £10million a year, there is no
surprise that Touré is among the top earners on the pitch. The Ivorian
midfielder has had a distinguished international career with 82 caps for
the Ivory Coast, representing the team in their first appearance in a
World Cup in 2006 and again in 2010. Touré has won the African
Footballer of the Year for the last three consecutive years.
In
addition to his rewarding salary, he also signed an endorsement deal
with Puma that includes distributing the brand’s gear to underprivileged
African children.
He
is one of the only non-strikers on the list - but despite this, was
third top scorer in the Premiership last season chipping in with 20
goals for Manchester City helping them win the title.
6. Sergio Aguero
Reported Weekly Wage: £220,000
Age: 26
Club: Manchester City
Country: Argentina
Major sponsors: Puma, Pepsi
Multiple
leg injuries have resulted in a bit of a stop-start career at
Manchester City so far for the Argentine, nicknamed ‘Kun’.
However,
this has not hindered his relationship with the club who, in May 2013,
agreed to give him a contract extension and salary increase that not
only keeps him with the club until 2017 but also makes him one of the
highest paid football players in the world.
Snappy dresser: Man City's Argentine striker Sergio Aguero is on £220,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium
7. Luis Suarez
Reported Weekly Wage: £220,000
Age: 27
Club: Liverpool
Country: Uruguay
Major Sponsors: Adidas
Despite
Suarez’s turbulent tenure with Liverpool, involving multiple
suspensions and an attempted escape to Arsenal, he enhanced his
reputation as a world-class footballer last season forming a deadly
partnership with Englishman Daniel Sturridge and in turn, earns one of
the highest salaries of the Premier League.
As
Uruguay’s all-time leading goal scorer with 39 for the national team,
Suarez commands the top wage at Liverpool after he was rewarded with a
new contract in December.
He
was seen as a national hero when he helped lead his country to a fourth
place finish in the 2010 World Cup after blocking a goal bound header
from Ghana in the quarter-final with his hands. He was sent off, but
Ghana missed the penalty and Uruguay went on to go through to the next
round.
Putting his foot through it! Luis Suarez is fighting to get himself fit fort Uruguay's opener against Costa Rica
8. David Silva
Reported Weekly Wage: £200,000
Age: 28
Club: Manchester City
Country: Spain
Major sponsors: Adidas
Nicknamed
‘Merlin’ for his wizard-like passing abilities, Silva signed a
five-year contract to make up a reported £200,000 a week playing for
Manchester City. Since joining the club, the Spanish midfielder has
appeared in over 150 games in three seasons, winning the FA Cup, League
Cup and Premier League.
He
is famously described by his sponsor Adidas as a ‘new brand of player’
with surgical precision and a brain for strategy. Could he fire Spain to
a second consecutive World Cup win?
Thinker: David Silva will provide Spain with the incisive sort of intelligent play they are renowned for
Main man: Chelsea's Eden Hazard will be the main spark for dark horses Belgium
9. Eden Hazard
Reported Weekly Wage: £185,000
Age: 23
Club: Chelsea
Country: Belgium
Major sponsors: Nike
Currently
regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, even
compared to the likes of Zidane, it's not hard for Chelsea to
rationalise spending a reported £185,000 a week on the Belgian. With
rumours circling that Hazard is a target for Paris Saint-Germain, the
Blues have said they are prepared to pay the big bucks to keep hold of
him – so he could race up this list in the near future.
Although
approached by Adidas, Hazard has remained loyal to his long-term
sponsors Nike, with a renewed endorsement contract that is said to make
him one of their leading football faces along with Ronaldo, Rooney,
Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Incredible! Fernando Torres might be struggling for goals for Chelsea and Spain but he makes the top 10
10. Fernando Torres
Reported Weekly Wage: £175,000
Age: 30
Club: Chelsea
Country: Spain
Sponsorship: Adidas, Pepsi, Aviva,
Despite
his outrageously large salary, all that glitters is not gold -
throughout his time at the club, Torres has been a disappointment for
Chelsea with many a second-rate performance.
It's
a far cry from the prolific period he spent at Liverpool, where he
became the fastest player in the club's history to score 50 league
goals, but something hasn't clicked since his £50million move to the
West London club in 2011.
In spite of this, he has been capped over 100 times for his country and is Spain’s third-highest goalscorer of all time.
He also has a couple of high profile endorsement deals with Adidas and Pepsi, as well as a few domestic Spanish brands, boosting his income.
