Lionel Messi tops Cristiano Ronaldo in list of 10 best-paid players in world football

Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football – edging his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the rankings.

France Football have compiled a list of the top 10 best-paid players in 2019, which predictably saw two of the game’s greatest-ever players sit first and second.

Messi made a staggering £120million last year, £11m more than Ronaldo who enjoyed his first full campaign at Juventus.

The duo were also the only players to surpass the £100m mark.

The figures are made up of wages, bonuses, endorsements, commercial revenue and other streams.

Following on from the top two, the gap starts to widen.

PSG superstar Neymar collected £87m for his efforts last year while Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale received £35.45m in what has been a dramatic fall from grace during his career at the Bernabeu.

Bale narrowly pips Antoine Griezmann to fourth, with the Frenchman earning £200,000 less than the former Tottenham winger.

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was the only Premier League player and Englishman to make the list, raking in £30.96m during the calendar year as Pep Guardiola’s men secured an unprecedented English domestic Treble.

A surprise inclusion on the list came in the form of Andres Iniesta.

Despite leaving the Nou Camp for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018, Iniesta is still making bank having earned £31.14m in 2019.

While France Football may have denied Robert Lewandowski the Ballon d’Or award this year, they couldn’t deny him from making the top 10 in this list, with the Bayern Munich talisman coming ninth with a haul of £26.56m.

Kylian Mbappe joins PSG team-mate Neymar on the list, having earned £24.73m last year to complete the top 10 list.