Even footballers will have to admit they get paid ridiculous amounts of money.

Football is the biggest sport in the world and there is a stupid amount of cash involved.

As a result, players get paid obscene amounts of wages to entertain us.

ENTER GIVEAWAY

ENTER GIVEAWAY

It’s now the norm for top players to take home a couple of hundred thousand pounds every week.

But how much do players really get paid?

Well, Forbes magazine have produced their annual report which looks at the 10 highest-paid footballers in the world taking endorsements into account.

Who makes the top 10? Let’s take a look:

(All figures in American dollars)

Quiz: Can you name the footballer based on their Wikipedia page?

10 | Eden Hazard | $29m ($26 wages. $3m endorsements)

Hazard has struggled to live up to his $118 million price tag and his $26 million annual paycheck after struggling with injury since his move to Real Madrid.

He’s still popular off the pitch with deals with the likes of McDonald’s, Nike and Nissan.

Eden Hazard

9 | Gareth Bale | $32m ($26m wages. $6m endorsements)

Another player struggling with injuries at Real Madrid despite picking up $26m per year in wages.

His endorsement deals include some golfing companies, you won’t be surprised to hear.

Gareth Bale

8 | Paul Pogba | $34m ($27m wages. $7m endorsements)

Pogba is earning big money at United but he’s also very marketable too. The 28-year-old signed a ten-year boot contract with Adidas worth an estimated $45 million.

Paul Pogba

7 | Andres Iniesta | $35m ($31m wages. $4m endorsements)

Iniesta may be 37 and playing in Japan but he’s picking up a nice $31m in wages every year.

Andres Iniesta

6 | Robert Lewandowski | $35m ($27 wages. $8m endorsements)

One of the greatest goalscorers in football history is on fire on the pitch at the moment. He’s pretty successful with brands too, launching his own RL9 brand of clothing as well as deals with Nike, Huawei and Head & Shoulders.

Robert Lewandowski

5 | Mohamed Salah | $41m ($25 wages. $16m endorsements)

Salah actually earns the least amount on this list on his current deal at Liverpool. However, he’s an icon for Africans and Muslims, landing him a huge $16m per year in sponsorship.

Mohamed Salah

4 | Kylian Mbappe | $43m ($28 wages. $15m endorsements)

Not bad for a 22-year-old. The Frenchman could increase his wages if he moves to Real Madrid - or signs a bumper new deal at Paris Saint-Germain. He’s also the face of FIFA 22 having been on the cover of FIFA 21 too.

Kylian Mbappe

3 | Neymar | $95m ($75m wages. $20m endorsements)

Neymar picks up $52m more than teammate, Mbappe. He also earns $5m more in terms of endorsements after signing a huge contract with Puma. He’s also the third most popular athlete on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with 284 million followers.

Neymar

2 | Lionel Messi | $110m ($75 wages. $35m endorsements)

Messi is the highest-paid footballer in the world in terms of wages - even if he did take a paycut from the contract he would have signed at Barcelona. He also pockets $35m every 12 months with a big deal with Adidas.

Lionel Messi

1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $125m ($70 wages. $55m endorsements)

The highest-paid footballer in the world. He may earn $5m less than Messi in wages but picks up $20m more in endorsements, most notably from Nike. Ronaldo’s popularity was seen when his ‘Ronaldo 7’ shirt become the fastest-selling jersey days after his return to Manchester United.

He’s the world’s most popular athlete on social media with more than a half-billion followers across Facebook (149 million), Instagram (344 million) and Twitter (94.3 million).

As well as Nike, he has partnerships with Herbalife, Clear and his ever-expanding CR7 brand that includes perfume, underwear, eyewear, hotels, gyms and more.

Only three active athletes make more commercially - Roger Federer ($90 million), LeBron James ($65 million) and Tiger Woods ($60 million).

Cristiano Ronaldo

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