Football has become a very lucrative career for athletes who make it to the professional level. Part of the reason for this is that sponsorships have greatly increased the revenue that television stations gain by airing football games. This translates to more money for the football players fans are tuning in to see in droves.
The athletes who are the most elite in the sport are offered many sponsorship opportunities that are worth far more than they were in the past due to the advertising that runs during any given football game. The eve of 2014’s World Cup saw many advertisers that wanted nothing more than to have their commercial be a part of the televised event. Many consider the World Cup to be the biggest televised sporting event in the world, making it a gold mine for advertisers.
This list of the best paid soccer stars in the world was constructed by FORBES after careful research that included speaking with the player’s agents, soccer experts, commercial sponsors and talent agencies throughout both Europe and the United States. The figures used to calculate which athletes made it onto this list and which athletes didn’t include their 2013 salaries as well as any bonuses or endorsement deals they received during that year. Transfer fees were not used in the calculations made in regards to this list.
Here is the list of the top 10 highest paid footballers:
#1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid – $73 million
Salary: $49 million
Endorsements: $24 million
Major Sponsors: Nike, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Herbalife
Cristiano R0naldo is a huge football star in both Real Madrid and Portugal. In 2013 he received the Ballon d’Or Award, which is the highest honor an individual athlete can receive in the sport of football. Having also won this award prior to 2013, Renaldo earned it for his impressive performance on the field, which included a total of 69 goals scored in close to 60 country and club competitions held in 2013. As a result he was awarded a contract that lasts five years and is worth $206 million.
Renaldo’s handsome face and toned body has earned him countless huge sponsorship deals recently, including one from Tag Hauer. In addition he has his own line of men’s underwear called CR7. This, along with the deal he has with Nike, has put him at the top of the list of the highest paid football players as well as the list of the world’s highest paid athletes.
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