Lionel Messi tops Cristiano Ronaldo in list of 10 best-paid players in world football with duo the only men to break £100M barrier - and Raheem Sterling is only Premier League player to make the cut

  • France Football compiled a list of the top 10 best-paid footballers in the world
  • Lionel Messi comes out on top ahead of rival and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Raheem Sterling is the only player from the Premier League to make the list
  • The figures are made up of wages, bonuses, endorsements, and other streams

Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football – edging his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the rankings.

France Football have compiled a list of the top 10 best-paid players in 2019, which predictably saw two of the game's greatest-ever players sit first and second.

Messi made a staggering £120million last year, £11m more than Ronaldo who enjoyed his first full campaign at Juventus.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football in 2019

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football in 2019

Messi tipped long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who came second, in the rankings

Messi tipped long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who came second, in the rankings

The duo were also the only players to surpass the £100m mark.


The figures are made up of wages, bonuses, endorsements, commercial revenue and other streams.

Following on from the top two, the gap starts to widen.

PSG superstar Neymar collected £87m for his efforts last year while Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale received £35.45m in what has been a dramatic fall from grace during his career at the Bernabeu.

Raheem Sterling is the only Premier League player and Englishman to make the list

Raheem Sterling is the only Premier League player and Englishman to make the list

Bale narrowly pips Antoine Griezmann to fourth, with the Frenchman earning £200,000 less than the former Tottenham winger. 

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was the only Premier League player and Englishman to make the list, raking in £30.96m during the calendar year as Pep Guardiola's men secured an unprecedented English domestic Treble.

A surprise inclusion on the list came in the form of Andres Iniesta. 

Despite leaving the Nou Camp for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018, Iniesta is still making bank having earned £31.14m in 2019.

PSG team-mates Neymar (left) and Kylian Mbappe (right) both made the top 10 list

PSG team-mates Neymar (left) and Kylian Mbappe (right) both made the top 10 list

Despite leaving the Nou Camp for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018, Andres Iniesta is still making bank having earned £31.14m in 2019
While France Football may have denied Robert Lewandowski the Ballon d'Or award this year, they couldn't deny him from making the top 10 in this list

Andres Iniesta (L) raked in £31.14m last year while Robert Lewnadowski (R) made £26.56m

While France Football may have denied Robert Lewandowski the Ballon d'Or award this year, they couldn't deny him from making the top 10 in this list, with the Bayern Munich talisman coming ninth with a haul of £26.56m.

Kylian Mbappe joins PSG team-mate Neymar on the list, having earned £24.73m last year to complete the top 10 list.

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