Messi surpasses Ronaldo as World’s highest-paid footballer – Forbes

Once again, the duo have been confirmed as the highest paid footballers in the world.

In the recently published Forbes’ list of highest-paid footballers, Lionel Messi retains his place at the top of the list, while his arch-rival, Cristiano Ronaldo is closely behind him in second place.

The Barcelona superstar tops the chart with an estimated earning of $126m (€98m) in salary and endorsements over the past 12 months.

His long-time rival and Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo takes second place with an estimated earning of $117m (€91m) from his contract as well as various endorsements of the field.

The list includes Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in third and fourth place respectively. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah takes fourth spot, fresh off winning the Premier league with the Reds.

Completing the rest of the top 10 list are 2018 World Cup winners Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann of France, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski, and Manchester United goalkeeper, David De Gea.

Below is the the list as ranked by Forbes:

1. Lionel Messi – $126m (€98m)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – $117m(€91m)
3. Neymar Jr. – $96m (€74.7m)
4. Kylian Mbappe – $42m (€32.6m)
5. Mohamed Salah – $37m (€28.8m)
6. Paul Pogba – $34m (€26.5m)
7. Antoine Griezmann – $33m (€25.7m)
8. Gareth Bale – $29m (€22.6m)
9. Robert Lewandowski – $28m (€21.8m)
10. David De Gea – $27m (€21m)