Top 10 Richest World Cup Players
Cristiano Ronaldo's left leg may be the most important facet of the World Cup so far. He's injured, and if he's not at the top of his game, that means other teams have a real chance of winning against football behemoth Portugal.
Will Ronaldo risk his extremely lucrative career to continue playing? Check out how much he makes to play soccer, and nine of the other highest-paid FIFA athletes.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest earning athlete in FIFA, with his total earnings equal to $80 million. We're not surprised because, apart from his lucrative salary, he has some huge sponsorship contracts with Tag Heuer and underwear labeled CR7 that earn him an extra $28 million.
Total Earnings: $80 million
Salary/winnings: $52 million
Endorsements: $28 million
FIFA Rank: 4th
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
2. Lionel Messi - Argentina
Messi is well-known for being one of the greatest soccer players in the world, if not the greatest, earning a total for $64.7 million. He also has some big deals with sponsors like Adidas and Turkish Airlines, which throws in an extra $23 million on top of his $41.7 million salary
Total Earnings: $64.7 million
Salary/winnings: $41.7 million
Endorsements: $23 million
FIFA Rank: 5th
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
3. Neymar - Brazil
Neymar is a rising star. His transfer to Barcelona last year was one of the ten most expensive transfers in football history.
Total Earnings: $33.6 million
Salary/winnings: $17.6 million
Endorsements: $16 million
FIFA Rank: 3rd
World Cup Appearance: 1st
4. Wayne Rooney - England
The pride of England, Manchester United rewarded Wayne Rooney, a 10-year veteran, with a record 4-year contract extension worth up to $104 million.
Total Earnings: $23.4 million
Salary/winnings: $18.4 million
Endorsements: $5 million
FIFA Rank: 10th
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
5. Sergio Aguero - Argentina
Sergio Aguero is reportedly the 8th richest soccer player in the world and has endorsement deals with Gillette, Pepsi and Puma.
Total Earnings: $23.3 million
Salary/winnings: $18.3 million
Endorsements: $5 million
FIFA Rank: 5th
World Cup Appearance: 2nd
6. Yaya Toure - Ivory Coast
Last April, Yaya Toure signed a 4-year deal that will keep him with Machester City until 2017.
Total Earnings: $21.7 million
Salary/winnings: $19.2 million
Endorsements: $2.5 million
FIFA Rank: 23rd
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
7. Fernando Torres - Spain
In addition to playing for Chelsea and the Spain nation team, Fernando Torres has sponsorship deals with Adidas and Pepsi.
Total Earnings: $21.3 million
Salary/winnings: $17.8 million
Endorsements: $3.5 million
FIFA Rank: 1st
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
8. Robin van Persie - Netherlands
Total Earnings: $19.5 million
Salary/winnings: $16.5 million
Endorsements: $3 million
FIFA Rank: 15th
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
9. Steven Gerrard - England
Total Earnings: $18.7 million
Salary/winnings: $13.2 million
Endorsements: $5.5 million
FIFA Rank: 10th
World Cup Appearance: 3rd
10. Mesut Ozil - Germany
Total Earnings: $18.5 million
Salary/winnings: $12.5 million
Endorsements: $6 million
World Cup Appearance: 2nd
