Messi earns over €1m a week and Mourinho pockets €18m Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/416229.html#TsiPDs5zbqpWCsU
Lionel Messi earned more than €1 million (£740,000) a week last year to make him the world’s highest-paid player and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was the best-paid coach, according to a new survey.
France Football estimated Messi, 27, picked up £48 million in 2014 from his Barcelona salary, various bonuses and sponsorship revenue combined.
Messi’s new contract, signed only last May, saw him increase his basic annual salary to £26.5 million before tax, while his revenue from endorsements for companies such as Turkish Airlines and the FIFA video games has increased by £1.8 million to £21 million a year.
Messi, who is likely to equal David Beckham’s record of finishing top of France Football’s list for a sixth time next year, is well clear of La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the Real Madrid star significantly increasing his income over the last 12 months.
Ronaldo, 30, added around £11 million to his revenue to take himself to £40 million a year, while Messi’s Barcelona teammate Neymar came in third, improving his own revenue from £21.4 million to £27 million.
Nine players have annual earnings of more than €20 million (£15 million), including Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva, on £20 million a year to be Ligue 1’s highest-paid player, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is eighth on £15.8 million.
Manchester United duo Robin van Persie (5th, £19 million) and Wayne Rooney (7th, £16.5 million) sit either side of Gareth Bale, who earns £17.5 million.
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero is the third Premier League player in the top 10, weighing in at £15.6 million in ninth, just ahead of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (10th, £14.9 million), with Eden Hazard and Yaya Toure joint 11th on £14.7 million.
Mourinho, 52, earned £13.2 million last year to top the poll of managers, putting him £1.8 million ahead of Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola is third with £11 million with Premier League pair Arsene Wenger (£8.3 million) and Louis van Gaal (£7.4 million) completing the top five.
Top 20 players
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): €65 million (£48 million)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid): €54 million (£40 million)
3. Neymar (Barcelona): €36.5 million (£27 million)
4. Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain): €27.5 million (£20 million)
5. Robin Van Persie (Manchester United): €25.6 million (£19 million)
6. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid): €23.8 million (£17.5 million)
7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): €22.5 million (£16.5 million)
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain): €21.5 million (£15.8 million)
9. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City): €21.2 million (£15.6 million)
10. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich): €20.2 million (£14.9 million)
11. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Yaya Toure (Manchester City): €20 million (£14.7 million)
13. Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao (Real Madrid/Monaco and Manchester United): €18.5 million (£13.6 million)
15. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): €17.8 million (£13.1 million)
16. David Silva (Manchester City) and Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea): €17.3 million (£12.7 million)
18. David Luiz (Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain): €17.2 million (£12.6 million)
19. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): €17 million (£12.5 million)
20. Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich): €16.9 (£12.4 million)
Top 20 coaches
1. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea): €18 million (£13.2 million)
2. Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid): €15.5 million (£11.4 million)
3. Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich): €15.2 million (£11 million)
4. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal): €11.3 million (£8.3 million)
5. Louis Van Gaal (Holland and Manchester United): €10 million (£7.4 million)
6. Fabio Capello (Russia): €9 million (£6.6 million)
7. Andre Villas-Boas (Zenit Saint-Petersburg): €8.5 million (£6.3 million)
8. Sven-Goran Eriksson (Shanghai SIPG): €8 million (£6 million)
9. Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund): €7.2 million (£5.3 million)
10. Laurent Blanc (PSG) and David Moyes (Man Utd and Sociedad): €7 million (£5.2 million)
12. Rafael Benitez (Napoli): €6.9 million (£5.1 million)
13. Walter Mazzarri (ex-Inter Milan): €6.8 million (£5 million)
14. Roberto Di Matteo (Schalke 04): €6 million (£4.4 million)
15. Luciano Spalletti (ex-Zenit) and Luis Enrique (Barcelona): €5.5 million (£4 million)
17. Antonio Conte (Juventus and Italy): €5.3 million (£3.9 million)
18. Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City): €5.2 million (£3.8 million)
19. Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool): €4.9 million (£3.6 million)
20. Roberto Mancini (Inter Milan): €4.8 million (£3.5 million)
Source: http://www.espn.co.uk/
