Football is, without a doubt, one of the most popular games in the world right now. And while it is an extremely pleasing experience for the fans to watch their team win a game, the beautiful game also amply rewards the players who put in the efforts on the pitch. Footballers are generally quite well paid and some of the greatest footballers in the world do earn extraordinary salaries.
L’Equippe recently published the list of the ten highest-paid footballers in the world right now, based on their monthly salaries before tax. Interestingly, the list is heavily dominated by players who ply their trade in Spain, with 5 of them making it into the top 10. The list also includes two players from the Premier League and two from the Ligue 1, while only one player makes it into the list from the Serie A.
Mesut Özil at No. 10 is the second-highest-paid footballer from the Premier League, earning £1.4m per month. Kylian Mbappe (£1.5m per month), Alexis Sánchez (£2m per month), Philippe Coutinho (£2m per month) and Gareth Bale (£2.2m per month) are among the top 10 best-paid footballers in the world, but none make it into the top 5.
So, who are the 5 highest paid footballers in world football in 2020? Read on to find out.
#5 Luis Suárez (Barcelona, £2.5m per month)
The Barcelona striker is currently sidelined due to injury and is not expected to return to action before the end of the season. However, when fit, Luis Suárez still is a very important player for his club, despite being 33-years old.
The Uruguayan started his playing career with Nacional in the Primera Division in Uruguay, before moving to Eredivisie to join Groningen. It was here that the youngster was spotted by Ajax scouts and he made the move to the Johan Cruyff Arena in the summer of 2007. From then on, the Uruguayan was in fantastic form, achieving success with Ajax and then with Liverpool since 2011, where he scored 82 times from 133 appearances. It was enough for Barcelona to come calling and Suárez moved to Camp Nou in July 2014.
Since then, Suárez has been indispensable for the Catalans and has scored 191 times in 270 appearances so far. The Uruguayan signed a new 5-year deal in 2016 which runs out in the summer of 2021. He has talked about extending his stay with the Blaugrana beyond next year too, but as of now, he is the 5th highest paid footballer in the world. The Uruguayan earns a whopping £2.5m per month!
#4 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain, £2.7m per month)
Neymar’s future has been regularly discussed, but the Brazilian has managed to stay put at Paris Saint-Germain since joining the French champions in the summer of 2017. One of the reasons could be his exorbitant salary in Paris; the former Barcelona player earns £2.7m per month at the moment and is the 4th highest paid footballer in the world at the start of 2020.
The Brazilian caught the eye as a youngster while playing for Santos, which started a scuffle for his signature. Barcelona ultimately won the battle and Neymar made the move to the Camp Nou in the summer of 2013. Earmarked as the heir to Lionel Messi’s throne, the Brazilian was magnificent for the Catalans, forming a formidable frontline with Messi and Suárez. He achieved great success with Barcelona but preferred to move out of Messi’s shadows in 2017.
Since joining the French giants, Neymar has managed to continue his form, even though injuries have played spoilsport. The Brazilian has still scored 66 goals from 76 appearances and continues to be among the stars at PSG at the moment.
#3 Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona, £2.9m per month)
The former Atlético Madrid footballer saw his stocks rise after France’s World Cup winning campaign in 2018, where he played a pivotal role in the team. A lot of big clubs were interested in Antoine Griezmann, but pretty soon, it was clear that Barcelona were the favourites to land the Frenchman. The deal finally materialized in the summer of last year, when Griezmann joined the Catalans from Atlético for £107.7m.
The Frenchman initially struggled to adapt to his new team but has since found his footing at Camp Nou. Griezmann has scored 12 goals and registered 4 assists from 31 appearances for Barcelona so far and will need to step up as Barcelona attempt to address the lengthy absence of Suárez. The Frenchman has played on the left side of the front three in most games this season but has also operated in the center forward role on the odd occasion.
Griezmann started his career with Real Sociedad and move to Atlético Madrid in July 2014. The Frenchman played at the Wanda Metropolitano for 5 seasons, scoring 133 goals in 257 appearances and became a household name. He signed a 5-year-deal with Barcelona last summer and currently earns £2.9m per month, making him the 3rd highest paid footballer in 2020.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, £4.1m per month)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season in Turin was largely successful, as the Portuguese ended the season with his first Serie A title as well as the Supercoppa Italiana. Even though he missed out on the Ballon d’Or and the Best FIFA Men’s player of the year award, the former Real Madrid footballer was adjudged the Serie A’s most valuable player and also won the Serie A player of the year for 2019.
This season too, the Portuguese has been in fantastic form and has shown no signs of slowing down. Ronaldo has already scored 22 goals from 27 appearances for the reigning Serie A champions and is only behind Ciro Immobile in the golden boot race. The Portuguese has seamlessly slotted into a new country and a new league, while also maintaining his high standards in the process.
Ronaldo made the move to Turin in July 2018 after 9 hugely fruitful seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu, where he won everything on offer. The Portuguese signed a 4-year-deal with the Old Lady and currently earns a gross salary of £4.1m per month, however, it is still not enough to make him the highest-paid footballer of 2020.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, £7.3m per month)
It is no surprise that the reigning Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Men’s player of the year is also the highest paid footballer of 2020. However, what is worth mentioning is that Lionel Messi’s gross salary is close to double that of his rival Ronaldo! The Argentinean currently earns an astronomical £7.3m per month on his current deal, which is due to expire in the summer of 2021.
The record 6-time Ballon d’Or winner has 19 goals from 25 games so far this season, even though managerial turmoil has affected Barcelona’s performances. Amid Ernesto Valverde’s departure and Quiqen Setién’s appointment, Barcelona are enduring an indifferent season so far. However, that has not affected the Barcelona skipper’s form on the pitch as he continues to leap past records and surpass his own achievements.
With the league still in their reach and the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie coming up later this month, Messi will be gearing up for another blockbuster end to the season. Only this time, he will be looking to go all the way in both the league as well as the Champions League. And as always, very few people would bet against the Argentine.
Source – Sportskeeda
