Lionel Messi earned a staggering £29.7million in the last year, replacing David Beckham as the world’s highest-earning footballer. A study by France Football magazine found that the England midfielder had finally been toppled after two years on the top spot, though he stays above Cristiano Ronaldo in second place, with the Real Madrid winger placing third.
The £200,000 a week after-tax deal that Ronaldo signed when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid makes him the biggest earner by football salary, but Messi’s burgeoning commercial deals and a £3.6m bonus for winning six trophies with Barcelona put him out in front.
The 22-year-old signed a new contract at the Nou Camp before Christmas guaranteeing him take-home pay of at least £180,000 a week, but extras pushed his earnings to more than £570,000 a week last year.
Jose Mourinho, whose Inter team last week knocked his former club Chelsea out of Europe, saw his stock rise further as he topped the list of football’s highest-earning managers.
The Portuguese manager and self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ earns £11.7m a year, with Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini in second place making £10.8m. Former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, now coaching at little-known bg spenders Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan, comes in third at £8.5m.
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