Lionel Messi Named Highest-Paid FIFA Player

According to a France Football report (via ESPNFC.com), Lionel Messi made $71 million in 2014, making him the world’s highest-paid soccer player.

In addition to his salary of $39 million (€36 million) with FC Barcelona in Spain’s La Liga, Messi earned $31 million (€28 million) in his endorsements with Addidas, EA Sports and Turkish Airlines.  His salary alone makes him the highest-paid player in any team sport.

Another popular player, Cristiano Ronaldo, came in second place in the ranking of the highest-paid soccer players. He made a significantly less amount of money than Messi, earning $59 million (€54 million) in 2014.

Check out the top ten below:

1. Lional Messi, FC Barcelona (Spain) — $71 million (€65 million)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid (Spain) — $59 million (€54 million)
3. Neymar Jr, FC Barcelona (Spain) — $40.0 million (€36.5 million)
4. Thiago Silva, Paris Saint-Germain (France) — $30.1 million (€27.5 million)
5. Robin Van Persie, Manchester United (England) — $28.1 million (€25.6 million)
6. Gareth Bale, Real Madrid (Spain) — $26.1 million (€23.8 million)
7. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United (England) — $24.7 million (€22.5 million)
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain (France) — $23.6 million (€21.5 million)
9. Sergio Agüero, Manchester City (England) — $23.3 million (€21.2 million)
10. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich (Germany) — $22.2 million (€20.2 million)