The rivalry between Manchester United’s forward, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint Germain’s Lionel Messi on and off the pitch has no end in sight.
The football world was agog when the latter finally left Barcelona for PSG in a transfer that left many dazed.
Messi announced his move to Paris Saint-Germain after a long drama with FC Barcelona, but no sooner has that happened when Ronaldo also finally made a sensational return to Manchester United.
While both players can proudly boast of eleven Ballon d’Or Awards amongst them, the ranking of the highest earner is another phase to the rivalry between the Argentine and the Portuguese.
There is no doubt that both players are rated as the ‘best’ in the history of the game with a rivalry that began back in 2007. They both have won the highest number of Europe elite awards- the Ballon d’Or, with Messi edging Ronaldo with one.
Meanwhile, the report reaching National Daily reveals that with their latest moves the Manchester United forward has finally overtaken Messi as the world highest earning footballer, according to Forbes.
It is understood that Ronaldo will earn $125m pay before tax in the 2021-2022 season as $70m will come from his salary and bonus with his new club Manchester United.
The 36-year-old’s personal endorsements and partnerships with brands including Nike, Herbalife, Clear and his ever-expanding CR7-branded portfolio that includes perfume, underwear, eyewear, hotels, gyms and more will make up the $55m.
And with Messi’s latest move to PSG, the Argentine is now second on the list.
The 34-year-old will earn $110m which is $15m short of Ronaldo’s earnings.
PSG will pay the superstar $75m this season with $35m expected to be paid to him in endorsements from companies like Adidas, Pepsi, watchmaker Jacobs & Co. and Budweiser.
Amazingly, Ronaldo and Messi and Ronaldo will earn $235m this season, while the top ten earning players will receive $585m in the 2021-2022 season, this is an increase from last year’s $570m.
Messi’s team-mates Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe are next to Messi as the third and fourth highest earners on the list with $95m and $43m respectively.
The above makes PSG the club with the highest earners in the top four spots on the list.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is number 5 with $41m, while Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich is number 6 on the list with $35m.
Former Barcelona midfield legend, Andres Iniesta, who now plays for Vissel Kobbe is the only player from a non-European team, to secure number 7 with $35.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba is the eight on the list with $34m, as $27m will come from salary and $7m from endorsements.
Real Madrid team-mates Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard occupy the last spots on the top ten with the former sitting on the ninth place with $32m from which $26m is expected to come from salary, while $6m from endorsements and the latter on the tenth place as he is expected to earn $29m from Madrid. His endorsement will fetch him $3m, while his salary is estimated at $26m.