Lionel Messi beats Ronaldo & Neymar, to become world's highest-paid player
- Lionel Messi will earn more than any other player at the end of the 2020/21 season
- Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar complete the top three
- Man United stars, including Paul Pogba and David de Gea, are also on the list
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Lionel Messi's U-turn about not leaving Barcelona has had its significance on his personal earnings as the Argentine star has emerged as the future highest-paid footballer on the planet ahead of the new season, Forbes claims.
The 33-year-old, who almost ditched the Camp Nou this summer, will be taking home a massive $126 million, beating rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who will go home with $117 million in second spot.
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar retains his third spot with $96 million while future Ballon d'Or winner, Kylian Mbappe climbs to fourth with an expected take-home of $42m.
Source: UGC
Liverpool's priceless jewel and last weekend's hat-trick hero Mohamed Salah will have a total of $37m in his account at the end of the 2020/21 season.
Manchester United's Paul Pogba has not been left out of the bunch with an annual income of $28m taking him to sixth position.
Pogba's fellow countryman and Barcelona star Antoine Griezman is seventh with a $33m annual income while out-of-favour Real Madrid star Gareth Bale will smile to the bank with $29m.
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Last season's European Golden Boot winner and Champions League winner Robert Lewandowski is expected to walk away with $28m.
And Man United's shot-stopper who will battle for the club's number one jersey this season with Dean Henderson, David de Gea, completes the top 10 with a take-home of $24m.
Below is a comprehension breakdown of the top-earning footballers in salaries and endorsements.
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona (Salary: $92m, Endorsements $34 m, Total: $126m)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus (Salary: $70m, Endorsements: $47m, Total: $117m)
3. Neymar, PSG (Salary: $78m, Endorsements: $18m, Total: $96m)
4. Kylian Mbappe, PSG (Salary: $28m, Endorsements: $14m)
5. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (Salary: $24,m, Endorsements: $13m, Total: $37m)
6. Paul Pogba, Man United (Salary: $28m, Endorsements: $6m., Total: $34m)
7. Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona (Salary: $28m, Endorsements: $5m $31m)
8. Gareth Bale, Real Madrid (Salary: $23m, Endorsements: $6m, Total: $29m)
9. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich (Salary: $24m, Endorsements: $4m, Total: $28m)
10. David De Gea, Man United (Salary: $24m, Endorsements: $3m, Total: $27m)
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Meanwhile, Briefly.co.za had earlier reported that Cristiano Ronaldo's brace against Sweden in the UEFA Nations League clash took his tally for Portugal to 101.
The 35-year-old scored his 100th with an exquisite free-kick while his second was even a better finish than the first.
He is now the second player in history to reach a century of goals wearing the colours of his national team, after Iran's Ali Daei.
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Source: Briefly News
