Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, has been named the highest-paid footballer in the world, according to the latest Forbes ranking published on Monday.
Messi’s recent decision to stay at Barcelona for another year allowed him claim the number one position with $126 million in total earnings split into $34 million in endorsements and $92 million in salary.
The Argentine international is ahead of Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has $117 million in total earnings split into $47 million in endorsement and $70 million in salary.
Behind Messi and Ronaldo is Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, who has a total earnings of $96 million.
Neymar’s club teammate, Kylian Mbappe, sits in the fourth position with total earnings of $42 million.
Liverpool ace, Mohamed Salah is in the fifth position with total earnings of $37 million.
Others include Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba ($34 million), Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann ($33 million), Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale ($29 million), Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski ($28 million) and Manchester United’s David De Gea ($27 million) to make the top 10.