Lionel Messi beats Cristiano Ronaldo to become the highest-paid footballer in the world

There seems to be no end to one of the greatest rivalries in world football, one that has been more than a talking point for over a decade - Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo. The two have often tried and succeeded on several occasions, to outdo the other. This time around, the Argentina international has overtaken the Juventus superstar, albeit off the field, to become the highest-earning football star in the world. 

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Lionel Messi beats Cristiano Ronaldo to become highest-paid footballer 

France Football compiled a list of the 10 highest paid football stars in the world in 2019 and Lionel Messi emerged at the top of said list. Messi earned a staggering £120 million ($156 million) last year according to France Football, while Cristiano Ronaldo occupied the second spot in the list. The 35-year-old pocketed £109 million ($142 million) the previous year, which also marked his first full campaign with Juventus. 

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only two players in the list to cross the £100 million mark. The figures include wages, bonuses, endorsements, commercial revenue as well as other streams. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Neymar Jr finished third on the list with estimated earnings of £87 million ($113 million).

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Gareth Bale is the fourth highest-paid footballer in the world 

Meanwhile, Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale emerged as the surprise mention in the list as the fourth highest-paid footballer in the world. The Wales international pocketed £35.35 million ($46 million), despite languishing on the bench for the most part of the season. Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is the only Premier League player on the list, with £30.96 million ($40 million) in earnings, leading to an eighth-place finish. 

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Lionel Messi net worth stands at a mammoth $400 million

According to Wealthy Gorilla, the Lionel Messi net worth is estimated at a staggering €320 million ($400 million), making him the second-richest football star in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is associated with some of the biggest brands in the world including Adidas, Gatorade, Huawei and MasterCard. 

Cristiano Ronaldo net worth 

On the other hand, the Cristiano Ronaldo net worth stands at a mammoth $500 million according to a report by Celebrity Net Worth and the Portuguese icon is the first football star to cross the $1 billion mark in career earnings. Apart from Ronaldo, golf legend Tiger Woods and boxing great Floyd Mayweather have breached the $1 billion mark in career earnings.

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Note: The Messi net worth and Ronaldo net worth figures have been sourced from the above-mentioned websites. This website does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the figures. 

Image courtesy: Barcelona/Juventus Twitter