Top 10 Highly Paid Footballers of The Year 2016
Footballers are always in the limelight whether it is about their performances, controversies or their wages. Well, it is an undeniable fact that the footballers are paid with pretty large amounts and when it comes to the superstars of the soccer; whether they are born with a silver spoon in their mouth or not, they have the deep pockets for sure. Footballers whether they are on the field or on the bench; are paid with lucrative salaries, thanks to the sponsors who play an important role in that. Below is the list of the most highly paid top 10 footballers of 2016, that is prepared by collecting the information from the important sources including Forbes.
#10 – Cesc Fabregas
At number 10 we have the Spanish superstar Cesc Fabregas. The Chelsea mid-fielder with his performance has won the heart of his fans as he played an important role in the success of Chelsea. He earned about $16 million including the salary and the bonuses. Along with that, he got $5 million from the sponsorship deals that were made with the brands like Beats by Dre and Puma that made his total earnings of 2016 about $21 million.
# 9 – Eden Hazard
Next is the Belgian midfielder and Chelsea’s player Eden Hazard who signed an agreement with Chelsea in June 2012. According to the website of Chelsea FC he scored 9 goals in his 21 games during 2016. He got $18 million in his salary and the bonuses. His total earnings for the year 2016 are $22 million.
#8 – Luis Suarez
At number eight we have 29 years old Luis Suarez of Uruguay who is also famous for biting the Italian player Giorgio Chiellini during the world cup 2014. Suarez plays for the Spanish football club Barcelona. He made the total earnings of $23 million in which $18 million were contributed by his salary and the bonuses.
#7 – Sergio Aguero
Next on the list is Sergio Kun Aguero the former son-in-law of the Former Argentine player Diego Maradona. The Argentine star plays for Manchester City FC and is considered among the world’s top rated strikers. Aguero got $17 million from his salary and the bonuses and his total earnings were $24 million last year.
#6 – Wayne Rooney
English striker and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney has taken the sixth position among the top ten highly paid soccer players. Rooney also captains both England’s international football team and Manchester United. Though Manchester United had the tough time last year but Rooney earned a pretty decent amount last year; $26 million from which the $20 million belonged to his salary and bonuses.
#5 – Gareth Bale
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale who also plays for Wales has taken the fifth position according to Forbes. The Welsh footballer earned total $34 million from which $10 million were pulled as the result of the endorsement deals he made with the big brands like Sony Xperia, Adidas and BT Sports.
#4 – Neymar Jr.
At number four we have Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, the finalist for the Ballon d’or, the Brazillian superstar made the earnings of $36 million. The Barcelona FC’s striker not only knows how to impress his fans but he also knows how to win the hearts of the sponsors; as he earned more from the endorsement deals than his salary and the bonuses. He earned $14 million from his salary and bonuses.
#3 – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the former PSG striker now plays for Manchester United. 35 years old Swedish striker is well known for his sizzling personality, aerial abilities and his strengths. Due to his playing style he is compared with the Dutch legend Marco van Basten. He made the earnings of $7 million from the deals he signed with the brands like Nike and Volvo, and earned $30 million from his salary and bonuses.
#2 – Lionel Messi
Well we have reached the second position and we have none other than Lionel Messi on this spot. Having 5 Ballon d’or trophies in his cabinet; the Argentine and Barcelona’s striker is known for his dribbling abilities. He has played a major role in the success of Barcelona in 2015; as it earned 5 trophies in that year. Messi earned $77 million in the year 2016; having the earnings of $51 million from his salary and the bonuses. The major sponsors that signed the agreement with Messi were Lays, EA Sports, Gatorade and Adidas. From the endorsements he made the earnings of $26 million in 2016.
#1 – Christiano Ronaldo
At the top we have the super fast and extremely talented Portuguese striker and skipper Christiano Ronaldo. Well that’s not surprising at all, as CR7 is himself a brand! He won four golden shoe awards and has won his fourth Ballon d’or recently. The former Manchaster United player is now scoring the goals for Real Madrid. According to the Guardian he has scored 359 goals for Real Madrid. Ronaldo also owns a large fan club as he has 200 million followers on the social media according to Forbes. Last year Ronaldo earned $82 million in which he got $53 million from his salary and bonuses. The rest $29 million is the endorsement money that he got from the brands like Nike, Tag Heuer, Clear and others.
These were the most earning top 10 footballers for the year 2016; let’s see what 2017 brings for them. Will it be Ronaldo again on the top, Messi or any other footballer? Well you have to wait for the whole year for that so keep waiting!
