The two rivals have dominated football for over a decade, collecting 11 Ballon d’Ors between them, including 10 in a row, in an unprecedented era when two of the greatest ever have played at the same time, often against each other.
Messi earns €131 million-a-year, actually making him the top earning star in any sport last year, whilst Ronaldo, second on the all sport list too, earned €118 million. Perhaps most surprisingly on the list, via Tribuna, is Andres Iniesta.
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona – €131 million-a-year
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus – €118 million
3. Neymar, PSG – €95 million
4. Gareth Bale, Real Madrid – €38 million
=. Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona – €38 million
=. Eden Hazard, Real Madrid – €38 million
7. Andres Iniesta, Vissel Kobe – €34 million
8. Raheem Sterling, Manchester City – €33 million
9. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich – €29 million
10. Kylian Mbappe, PSG – €27 million
It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise to see Iniesta’s name on the list when he was still a Barcelona player, the Spaniard twice finished in the Ballon d’Or top three, once in second behind just Messi, and was an integral part to the Catalan giants all conquering sides.
However he left La Liga in 2018 and moved to Japan to join Vissel Kobe and, unlike the Chinese Super League, the J-League doesn’t have a big reputation for paying big wages.
Also surprisingly on the list there is only one Premier League player, in the form of Raheem Sterling, with some reporting that both David de Gea and Kevin de Bruyne earn more than the England forward.
Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have also been reported to be paid big wages, although the latter is on loan at Inter this season.
Source – https://www.sportbible.com/