王朝東

Thanks to all the highly lucrative（高利潤(rùn)的） commercial deals， a world class footballer s annual income normally reaches astronomical figures. Just a week s salary alone， for example， takes most of us a huge chunk of our lifetimes to reach. Top European clubs will do anything to keep their superstars happy， and normally break the bank to do so. While the likes of Nike， Adidas and Pepsi continue to offer some mega sponsorship deals. Clearly， life as a top player really is the dream job. Here are the top 5 highest paid footballers in the world.

No. 5 Andrés Iniesta

The Barcelona legend has been playing with footballers in Japan since 2018. While his former Blaugrana team mates David Villa， Thomas Vermaelen and Sergi Samper have all linked up with him， Iniesta s time with Vissel Kobe hasn t been a successful one football wise. Still， the Spaniard is enjoying his time in East Asia and continues to be one of the highest paid footballers.

Pay： ?32.5 million

Salary： ?30 million

Endorsements： ?2.5 million

No. 4 Paul Pogba

While he may have spent the summer eyeing an exit， Manchester United still ensure Pogba remains comfortable anyway. The Red Devils will be keen to welcome back their record signing soon as he works his way back up to full fitness from an ankle injury. Delivering some strong performances on his return will likely be a top priority for Pogba. In the meantime， though， he has profited a lovely ?33 million for his efforts in the last 12 months.

Pay： ?33 million

Salary： ?29 million

Endorsements： ?4 million

No. 3 Neymar

The world record signing had another injury barren year， which saw him miss most of Paris Saint Germain s campaign. A heartbreaking injury in June ruled him out of the Copa America as well， with Brazil winning their piece of silverware since 2007 on home soil. A failed attempt to return to Barcelona last summer was the tip of the iceberg. Still， Neymar is edging close to hitting top form again after returning from injury. Therefore， PSG will expect plenty of him in 2020 considering all they pay him at the moment.

Pay： ?105 million

Salary： ?75 million

Endorsements： ?30 million

No. 2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Joining Juventus in 2018 meant that Cristiano Ronaldo had to take a big pay cut in his salary.

While he may not have his Real Madrid wages anymore， however， the Portugal captain still bags a sweet ?65 million. Ronaldo is also the highest earner in sponsorship deals， with the likes of Nike and EA paying him handsomely. So his pay cut at Juventus is nothing more than a small dip in the ocean.

Pay： ?109 million

Salary： ?65 million

Endorsements： ?44 million

No. 1 Lionel Messi

If Ronaldo is second on this， then who else can possibly top him？ Lionel Messi proves his money s worth each season by thrilling fans with his unbelievable talents. The 32 year old also continues to lead Barcelona to glory， and scored a remarkable 51 goals in 50 games last season. It s no wonder why Blaugrana supporters are fretting over（為……而煩惱） the six time Ballon d Or winner s contract， which includes a clause to allow him to leave next summer.

Pay： ?127 million

Salary： ?92 million

Endorsements： ?35 million

Critical

Thinking

What do you think of the job being a famous football player？ Why？