Barca, Madrid, Juventus lead clubs with the best-paid squads, according to survey

The report, which was the 10th edition of the Global Sports Salaries study placed Barcelona on top of the list with an average basic salary of a first-team player of $12.8 million.

Compared to last year’s survey which was also topped by the Catalan giants, the figure has dropped from an average of $13.7 million, swelled by the basic pay check of Lionel Messi, which exceeds $65 million.

 Thirteen-time European champions, Real Madrid also maintained their second place with an average of $11.6 million and Juventus, who were ninth on the list last year, are up to third with $10.54 million.

 The only other football clubs that appeared in the top 20 are French champions Paris-Saint Germain who are in twelfth position and English Premier League side Manchester City who are at No. 13.

The figures used in the survey represent basic annual pay and do not include signing bonuses, performance bonuses and other extras.

Teams from the NBA fill the remaining seven spots in the top 10 and take 15 of the top 20 places.

Serie A side Juventus were ranked No. 32 in 2017 but leapt to 10th place last year with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo and other high-priced players.