Forbes recently released a list of highest paid footballers in the world. See the top 20 below:
#1 David Beckham
Total earnings: $50.6 million
Age: 37
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: United Kingdom
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Breitling, Coty, H&M, Sainsbury
One reason David Beckham agreed to donate to charity the salary he will earn during his current 5-month stay at Paris Saint-Germain? He can afford it. The 37-year old British midfielder had his best year in 2012 in terms of commercial endorsements, banking $44.1 million from sponsors including Adidas, Coty, H&M, Sainsbury and newest partner, Breitling. Off the pitch he won his second MLS cup with the Los Angeles Galaxy on his way to taking in another $6.5 million to earn a total of $50.6 million last year. Next continent to conquer is China. Becks signed a multi-year deal to become an ambassador for the Chinese Super League, a role which will see him make three trips in 2013 to the country and play an an exhibition game.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Total earnings: $43.5 million
Age: 28
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Portugal
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Castrol, Clear Shampoo, Mobitti, Konami, Banco Espirito Santo
The 2012 runner-up world's best player of the year was proud enough to have his sponsor, Nike, commemorate his record 60 goals in 55 games last year by stitching both numbers (among other stats) into his boots. Contract extension talks with Real Madrid stalled prior to the start of the 2012/13 season over the player's share in his image rights. He currently splits them 60-40 with the club, known for usually taking 50 percent of a player's rights. The Portuguese winger has a lot at stake -- he currently earns $21.6 million of his total $43.5 million from sponsors. His current contract runs through the 2014/15 season.
#3 Lionel Messi
Total earnings: $40.3 million
Age: 25
Club: Barcelona
Country: Argentina
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Pepsi, EA Sports, Head & Shoulders, Herbalife, Turkish Airlines, Dolce & Gabana
After scoring 91 goals in all competitions last year to break a 40-year-old world record held by Gerd Muller, Messi then won FIFA’s world player of the year award for a record fourth year in a row. Barcelona rewarded the 25-year old who started his career as a youth at the club with a record contract extension through 2018 that will pay him up to $21.2 million a year and make him the highest earner on-the-pitch. Adidas recently launched his icon signature line, only the second time they have done so for one of their brand ambassadors (the first was with David Beckham).
#4 Sergio Aguero
Total earnings: $20.8 million
Age: 24
Club: Manchester City
Country: Argentina
Major Sponsor(s): Puma, Pepsi
Only halfway into his 2nd year on his current 5-year contract, Aguero is set to cash in again with a reported new 5-year deal with Man City -- an attempt to ward off suitors rumored to include Real Madrid. This despite the fact that his goal scoring this season is off top form from last season. Sponsor Puma found the Argentine, nicknamed 'Kun', has another talent and will feature it in a new commercial. The striker can sink a straight shot on the pool table.
#5 Wayne Rooney
Total earnings: $20.3 million
Age: 27
Club: Manchester United
Country: United Kingdom
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Harper Collins
Rooney appears at a crossroads in his career, during the middle of his current 5-year contract. His fate with Man U is constantly in the headlines with rumors that he's fallen out of favor with the club and manager Sir Alex Ferguson but that a hoped summer transfer is improbable due to his high salary. Off the pitch, sponsors are drying up. Most recently, EA Sports decided to end it's 7-year partnership with the striker. None of this has left Rooney at a loss for words though. His third book as part of his deal with Harper Collins title "My Decade In The Premier League" was published in September.
#6 Yaya Toure
Total earnings: $20.2 million
Age: 29
Club: Manchester City
Country: Ivory Coast
Major Sponsor(s): Puma
The Ivory Coast midfielder signed a new contract with Man City at the beginning of this month with a slightly reduced basic wage but loaded with incentives tied to the team's success. This latest 4-year deal ties him up with the club through 2017 and is worth up to $20 million a year in salary and bonus that will keep him among the sports top earners on the pitch.
#7 Fernando Torres
Total earnings: $20.2 million
Age: 29
Club: Chelsea
Country: Spain
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Pepsi
Since joining Chelsea in January 2011, the Spanish striker has failed to live up to his past production at Liverpool which led to his near $80 million British record transfer fee. Not only has he been often left out of the Blues' starting lineup, his national team has recently overlooked him completely for international competition. Still this season in all competitions, he has scored 20 goals for his club. After opting to wear a pair of Adidas boots during a match in February, rumor swirled Torres may be making the switch from Nike at the end of this season.
#8 Neymar
Total earnings: $19.5 million
Age: 21
Club: Santos
Country: Brazil
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Konami, Panasonic, Red Bull, Santander, Unilver, Volkswagen
The young Brazilian superstar, already one of the most prolific scorers in the history of Santos, is on the verge of a popularity boom. He is touted as the complete package: young, skillful and good-looking. Speculation exists that a move to Spain -- most likely Barcelona -- is, if not imminent, inevitable. But the wonderkid is currently raking in the riches playing at home. Sponsors have lined up in anticipation of a move to a more globally marketed team and the 2014 World Cup where his country is expected to make him the face of the competition. In the past year his total earnings have more than doubled.
#9 Ricardo Kaka
Total earnings: $19.3 million
Age: 30
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Brazil
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Pepsi
Once regarded as one of the best players in the world, the oft-injured and reserved Kaka is rumored to be scrambling to find a suitable home to play on a more regular basis than he currently does with Real Madrid. A loan to his former club AC Milan in January failed due to his high cost. His current club was said to want to recoup the nearly $91 million they paid to get him from the Serie A club in 2009 but was unable to work out a suitable deal. The player squashed reports that clubs in his native Brazil and the Los Angeles Galaxy are in the running for his services when he said he wants to remain in Europe ahead of the 2014 World Cup, in order to increase his chances of making his national team.
#10 Didier Drogba
Total earnings: $17.8 million
Age: 35
Club: Galatasaray
Country: Ivory Coast
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Pepsi
After eight years with Chelsea where he scored 157 goals in 341 appearances and helped them win 10 titles including their 2012 Champions League trophy, the Ivory Coast Striker signed in June 2012 with Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese Super League which has been dogged by scandal and match-fixing. The two-and-a-half-year deal to pay him up to $300,000 a week turned into a six-month stint. The club's owners battled for control and Drogba went unpaid. In January Galatasaray signed him to an 18-month deal.
#11 Steven Gerrard
Total earnings: $17.3 million
Age: 32
Club: Liverpool
Country: United Kingdom
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas
#12 Emmanuel Adebayor
Total earnings: $16.7 million
Age: 29
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Country: Togo
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Power Horse
#13 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Total earnings: $16.6 million
Age: 31
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Sweden
Major Sponsor(s): Nike, Bonnier
#14 Carlos Tevez
Total earnings: $16.6 million
Age: 29
Club: Manchester City
Country: Argentina
Major Sponsor(s): Nike
#15 Samuel Eto'o
Total earnings: $16 million
Age: 32
Club: Anzhi Makhachkala
Country: Cameroon
Major Sponsor(s): Puma
#16 Samir Nasri
Total earnings: $15.7 million
Age: 25
Club: Manchester City
Country: France
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas
#17 Frank Lampard
Total earnings: $15.7 million
Age: 34
Club: Chelsea
Country: United Kingdom
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Little Brown
#18 John Terry
Total earnings: $15.6 million
Age: 32
Club: Chelsea
Country: United Kingdom
#19 David Silva
Total earnings: $15.4 million
Age: 27
Club: Manchester City
Country: Spain
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas
#20 Karim Benzema
Total earnings: $14.9 million
Age: 25
Club: Real Madrid
Country: France
Major Sponsor(s): Adidas, Hyundai, EA Sports
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