Close to earning £1m-a-week, Lionel Messi tops football rich list

Lionel Messi is the highest-paid footballer on the planet, banking nearly £1million a week last year in wages and sponsorship deals.

The Argentina and Barcelona favourite earned an eye-watering £47.8m in 2014, with his club salary of £26m topped up by lucrative endorsements with the likes of Adidas, FIFA 15 and Turkish Airlines.

It puts him well ahead of his Real Madrid and Portugal nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo, who brought in £39.7m, according to the latest France Football magazine rich list.

Messi’s Barcelona colleague Neymar comes in third on £26.8m, his total underlining the gulf between the world’s two leading players and the rest.

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is the highest-ranked Premier League player, earning £18.8m in 2014. This consists of an £11.8m basic salary, topped up by £5m bonuses and £2m from various sponsorship deals.

Real Madrid’s world-record signing Gareth Bale comes in sixth with an annual income of £17.5m, followed by United and England captain Wayne Rooney on £16.5m.

The top 10 is rounded out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sergio Aguero and Robert Lewandowski, followed by another glut of Premier League stars.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Manchester City’s Yaya Toure both made £14.7m, while United duo Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao are jointly on £13.6m.

In the manager rich list, Jose Mourinho of Chelsea is the highest paid with his £10m salary and £3.2m in commercial revenue.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger (£8.3m) and Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal (£7.3m) also feature in the top five.