Here are the richest footballers in the world

Gone are the days when people used to regard football as a sport for school dropouts or vagabonds.

These days, football has become a very lucrative venture, with the current crop of players earning insane amounts in weekly wages.

For every training session, goal or pain they endure on the pitch, these professionals are sure to be smiling to the bank at the end of the week for a fat pay cheque.

One of the fastest growing self-development blogs, Wealthy Gorillas, has been tracking the net-worth of the various high-earning footballers.

So, without much ado, let’s zoom into the richest footballers in the world currently:

1.     Cristiano Ronaldo (Net-worth = $450 million)

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is considered by many as one of the greatest footballers ever to play the game, and his value continues to appreciate despite being in his twilights.

The Portuguese is arguably the most marketable player in the world and is currently almost half a million dollars rich.

As of 2019, Ronaldo – who joined Juventus from Real Madrid last summer in a £105 million deal – has a net-worth of $450 Million, which makes him the richest footballer in the world currently.

Ronaldo makes his money not just from his playing career, but also through his numerous endorsement deals with Nike, Herbalife and other global brands.

2.     Lionel Messi (Net-worth = $400 million)

Argentina and Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi is also one of the richest players in the world currently, with a net-worth of $400 million.

The 32-year-old has made the most of his amazing talents and is constantly earning big bugs both on and off the pitch.

Messi is currently the best-paid player in the world, as his current contract sees him take home over $20 million annually.

The six-time FIFA Best Player has endorsement deals with Huawei, Gatorade, Pepsi, MasterCard and also has a lifelong deal with Adidas.

3.     Alexandre Pato (Net-worth = $145 million)

This may come as a bit surprising but Alexandre Pato is among the top five richest players in the world.

The Brazil international has had a mixed career so far, having line up for the lines of AC Milan, Chelsea, Villarreal and Sao Paulo.

Pato’s net-worth is $145 million as he enters the final years of his playing career.

4.     Wayne Rooney (Net-worth = $145 million)

Former England captain Wayne Rooney is in a league of his own when it comes to persons who have made enough money from football.

The ex-Manchester United striker made his name scoring goals for fun in the Red shirt, and such high performances came with big pay cheques.

In 2012, Rooney was ranked as the richest footballer in England by France Football and he hasn’t dropped off that much since then.

The 33-year-old once commanded a wage of £300,000 per week at Man United and is on high-paying endorsement deals with Nike and Samsung.

5.     Gareth Bale (Net-worth = $125 million)

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale was not much of a ‘money-man’ during his time in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the Welshman joined the elite list immediately after securing a world-record move to the Spanish capital.

Bale’s net-worth is estimated at $125 million, with a chunk of his earnings coming by way of endorsements.

The speedster reportedly earns £15 million per year at Real Madrid and has endorsement deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Lucozade.

6.     Francesco Totti (Net-worth = $101.6 million)

Italy legend Francesco Totti is sure to go down as one of the most loyal footballers in the history of sports.

The 43-year-old played for AS Roma for over 20 years and was deservedly honoured when, after retirement, his iconic no.10 shirt was successfully launched into space.

Totti’s net-worth is estimated to be $101.6 million. This is a player who started earning the big bugs early in his career.

As far back as 2005, he was on a €10.4 million per year deal at Roma and recently claimed that he would be worth over €200 million were he still to be playing today.

7.     Eden Hazard (Net-worth = $100 million)

Newly-signed Real Madrid star Eden Hazard has a net-worth of $100 million, having been on top of his game for a number of years.

Hazard was the highest-paid player at Chelsea and his wages went further up when he joined the Spanish side in the summer.

The Belgium captain has also inked endorsement deals with China's Sina Sports, Topps and Lotus Bakeries.

He has also had sponsorship deals with global sportswear brand Nike since he was 16.

8.     Ricardo Kaka (Net-worth = $95 million)

Former Brazil International Ricardo Kaka is the ninth richest footballer on the planet currently.

Having played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and AC Milan, Kaka has seen in all in football.

The former FIFA Best Player has a net-worth estimated at around $95 million.

Kaka has also bagged endorsements with deals with Adidas and EA Sports in recent years.

9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Net-worth = $90 million)

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also among the richest footballers in the world, with an estimated net-worth of $90 million.

In 2009, the maverick forward was the second most expensive player in the world when he completed a $94 million move from Inter Milan to Barcelona.

Zlatan has played for some of Europe’s elite clubs, including Ajax, AC Milan and Manchester United.

The big Swede is also a brand ambassador for Nike and Samsung and has his own clothing brand perfume.

10.     Andres Iniesta (Net-worth = $86 Million)

Perhaps the most assured midfielder to ever play football, Andres Iniesta is always a man in high demand.

The 35-year-old turned out for Barcelona for the majority of his playing days, before joining Japanese club Vissel Kobe.

Iniesta has won everything there is to win at both club and international level and is estimated to be worth around $86 Million.

He has endorsement deals with Nike, Nissan and UFX.com, and is also major shareholder for Albacete Football Club.