Meet The World's Richest Footballers

... and their worth 

Welcome to the Goal Rich List, a unique rundown charting the world's active players and their net worth based on salary, endorsements and assets, as well as taking outside business interests into consideration. Who is the wealthiest footballer in the world in 2015?

Cristiano Ronaldo € 210m

Ronaldo extended his Real Madrid contract in September 2013 to earn €18.2m per year. He collected extra bonuses in 2014 for winning the Ballon d’Or and helping Real Madrid win the Champions League and the Club World Cup. His sponsorship deals contributed a further €25m to his

net worth, including partnerships with Toyota, Herbalife, Emirates, Castrol, Samsung, Soccerade, Emporio Armani, Konami, Banco Espirito Santo and KFC. The most lucrative of all is his deal with Nike while his clothing line CR7 is also a money-spinner. Other investments include Museu CR7, the Seven nightclub in the Algarve, a crowd-sourced mobile app, Mobitto, and a property portfolio worth over €30m.

Lionel Messi € 200m

Messi has the largest pre-tax contract of any player in the world, and has benefited from regular renewals on improved terms under a succession of Barcelona presidents. His clean-cut image means his endorsement deals are varied and lucrative, encompassing Adidas, EA Sports, Ooredoo, Samsung, Lay's, Audermars Piguet, Gillette, Dolce & Gabbana, Head & Shoulders, Gatorade and Pan Bimbo. His property empire is burgeoning: the jewel in the crown is ‘Azahares del Parana’, a huge complex which will house seven gated communities, a beach, a golf course and a sports complex just outside his hometown of Rosario. He recently left the board of one company, Limecu Espana, which is now worth €11.7m and is run by his brother Rodrigo.

The Neymar Family € 135m

Neymar was the face of the World Cup-hosting Brazil team in 2014, and as a result earned €37m in endorsement deals last year alone. His 12 fixed sponsors included Nike, Panasonic, Claro, foot odour-stopper Tenys-Pé, underwear brand Lupo, fizzy drink Guaraná Antarctica, Unilever, Volkswagen, Santander, Red Bull, Heliar (car batteries) and mobile app Palpiteros. His father, Neymar Snr, pocketed a €40m payout when the youngster joined Barcelona in summer 2013, a transfer that led to a tax fraud investigation. Neymar’s performances on the pitch will soon lead to more rewards, as he’s expected to sign a new contract almost doubling his €8.8m annual contract before the season ends.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic € 105m

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has understood his value ever since Malmo sporting director Hasse Borg sold him for €8.7m to Ajax aged 19. The Swede is careful not to be too over-endorsed – he has deals with Nivea, Xbox, Volvo and Dressman while his Nike #DaretoZlatan contract ended last year – but is smart with his investments. His property empire reportedly includes a 350-acre forest estate in Dävensö, a church in central Stockholm recently renovated into a townhouse and an investment in a 66-apartment block in Tribeca, Manhattan. He also partnered with IT billionaire Dan Oloffson in launching Mikz, a celebrity-marketing app, in 2013. His book I am Zlatan, released in over 20 countries, earned him another €8m.

Wayne Rooney € 103m

England captain Rooney is the highest-ranked Premier League player but the bulk of his net-worth comes from his Manchester United salary, which he increased to an annual €18.9m at the start of last season, strengthened by reported interest in his services from Monaco and PSG. His off-field income is boosted by €5.4m thanks to deals with Nike, Samsung and Harper Collins. He also owns one racehorse (two were retired in 2013), while his Prestbury mansion was worth over €6m before he spent double that on upgrading it.

Kaka € 96m

The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner earned more than €35m over the course of a four-year spell at Real Madrid, and though his salary more than halved on returning to AC Milan (where he forewent wages when injured), he is back on the money trail with a €2m deal for six months at Sao Paulo and now a €6.3m deal with Orlando City, the new MLS franchise which will make him the league’s highest-paid player. His clean-cut image makes him a marketer’s dream and his deals with Pepsi, Adidas, Samsung, Gillette and Armani (a seven-year contract) are ongoing. He owns property in Manhattan, Natal, Madrid and Milan.

Samuel Eto’o € 87m

Nearly half of Eto’o’s fortune came in two highly lucrative years spent with Anzhi Makhachkala, while before that he had won back-to-back Champions Leagues with Barcelona (2009) and Inter Milan (2010). He was earning €10m a year at Barcelona and €5m last year at Chelsea. His worth increased by lucrative deals with Puma and Ford but there has been little increase in this year’s tally as Eto’o has poured a lot of income into the final stages of launching the Samuel Eto’o Laikipia Unity Football Academy in Kenya

Raul  € 85m

The highest new entry in our Rich List, Raul regularly topped Real Madrid’s top earners in his 16 years at the Bernabeu, with his salary topping out at €7m per year. He earned another €14m in his two years at Gazprom-backed Schalke, and €10m for two seasons at Qatari side Al-Sadd. He is now at New York Cosmos, where he will play and head up the youth academy, for an unknown but significant salary (he turned down executive jobs at Real Madrid and Al-Sadd). His off-field portfolio is extensive, with his business Scar Sport Europe investing in renewable energies. He also has a property company, Luri, and an energy company, Cadmus, of which he owns 20 per cent.

Ronaldinho € 83m

Nine years after winning the Ballon d’Or, in 2005, and four years after leaving Europe behind, Ronaldinho is still earning big bucks. The Brazilian spent the last two years on a €2.7m annual contract with Atletico Mineiro but has recently moved to Mexico, where his Queretaro contract is heavily performance-related, but could be worth an additional €2.5m per year. The bulk of his earnings come from his Barcelona days and a hefty deal with Nike which has brought in over €20m in the last 10 years. 

Frank Lampard € 80m

Lampard is not on this list thanks to his series of football books for children, for which he earned less than £50,000. Instead, 13 years at Chelsea (and one at Manchester City) have brought in over €35m while his impressive property portfolio is worth the same. He made a €5m profit on selling his mansion in Esher, while his Chelsea townhouse is valued at over €13m. He also owned apartments in Docklands and Barcelona, and has represented Nike and Adidas

Bastian Schweinsteiger €75 m

The Germany midfielder has been earning €10m per year since 2012 at Bayern Munich. He is a global ambassador for Adidas and has a lucrative deal with Audi. Other endorsements include Right Guard, Funny-Frisch crisps, Nivea, and Beats by Dr. Dre. Winning the World Cup last summer, and replacing Philipp Lahm as Germany captain, increases his net worth

Rio Ferdinand €72 m

Ferdinand spent 10 years at Manchester United but it's his off-field pursuits that boost his worth: a music label called White Chalk, restaurants including Manchester’s popular Rosso, and #5 fashion label, which has been stocked in Selfridges. He is also an ambassador for Nike, BT Sport, Jaguar Academy of Sport, and has property in Cheshire, London and the Caribbean. 

Gigi Buffon €68 m

Buffon has spent the last 13 years at Juventus, where he earns €6.5m per season. He also earned a €19.5m windfall in just a few months in 2013, with a smart investment in manufacturing company Zucchi coinciding with a 107 per cent increase in the share price. Endorsement deals with Pepsi, Puma (through the Italy team) and Fiat (via Juventus) have further boosted his coffers.

Steven Gerrard €64 m

Liverpool's former England captain will earn €9m in his final year at Anfield before a lucrative switch to the Los Angeles Galaxy next season. He also has deals with Adidas, Lucozade and Jaguar, while his company Steven Gerrard has assets worth €5.4m. His two properties in Merseyside are valued at over €6m combined

Yaya Toure €62 m

 Toure spent three years at Barcelona before Manchester City made him the highest-paid Premier League player in 2010 on a €13.5m annual contract. Since then, Toure has won two league titles, four African Player of the Year awards, one Africa Cup of Nations and, in spring 2013, earned an improved contract to ward off interest from Paris Saint-Germain. His status in Africa also increases his value: he is a global ambassador for Puma and Nissan. 

Franck Ribery €61 m

Ribery signed a new contract at Bayern Munich in 2013, just a few months before he finished third in the race for the Ballon D’Or. That increased his salary to €14m per year. With another €1m payable in Bayern bonuses, and a €1m annual deal with Nike, the French winger is among the highest-paid players in today’s game. 

Francesco Totti €60 m

Twenty-three years in the Roma first team makes Totti the longest-serving one club man still playing today and his €5m annual contract, before bonuses, reflects that. The Italian, who has been an ambassador for Nike, Pepsi and Party Poker, has a sharp eye for business, with his company Numberten the umbrella for four other real estate companies he owns.

Gerrard Pique €58 m

The serial winner for Barcelona and Spain is just as successful off the pitch. He has been a model for Mango clothes, the face of FIFA 2012 in Spain for EA Sports and his company Kerad Games makes Golden Manager, a management simulation game. He is also a shareholder in Bas Alimentaria, a profitable Catalan natural meat company. If you add in the earnings of his wife Shakira, Pique would propel to number one in this list. As it is, he’s not doing too badly on his own.

Sergio Aguerro  €58 m

The Argentina forward signed a new and improved contract at Manchester City last year worth €12.5m before bonuses. His endorsements are worth an additional €7m per year, with clients including Puma, Pepsi, Gillette, Hugo Boss, and PlayStation.

John Terry € 56 m

The Chelsea captain has been a first-team regular since 2000 and has been on his current annual salary of €8m for three years. While Terry has endorsed Umbro in the past, most of his off-field earnings come from property. Last year he made a €13.5m profit by selling his nine-bedroom mansion in Surrey to the Sultan of Oman’s top aide for €21m.

Credit: Goal.com