France Football magazine has released a list of the highest-earning players in world soccer. Three-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi of Barcelona tops the list, earning $52 million in wages and sponsorship deals.
(CNN) -- Lionel Messi is widely regarded as the world's best footballer -- and now it seems the Argentina star is also unrivaled among his peers off the field.
David Beckham has long been the sport's biggest earner even in his declining years, due to his lucrative endorsement deals, but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar has been eclipsed by Barcelona's magician.
The three-time World Player of the Year was unveiled by France Football magazine as the highest-earning player in soccer on Tuesday, collecting €33 million ($52 million) in wages and endorsements during 2011.
The 24-year-old, who has scored 51 goals for the Catalan giants in all competitions, headed a list which placed Los Angeles Galaxy's former England captain Beckham in second on $50 million.
Beckham recently signed a new contract with the Galaxy, and unveiled a clothing line with Swedish retailer H & M earlier this year.
Javier Pastore is the most expensive player in French football history after he cost Paris Saint-Germain a fee believed to be $56 million. But Pastore is not the first footballer to have swapped clubs for a hefty price tag.
Football's biggest transfers
Messi's on-field rival Cristiano Ronaldo also featured highly. The Portugal forward's total earnings of $46 million in 2011 put him third ahead of Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon.
Eto'o secured a lucrative move from Inter Milan to big-spending Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2011 and he has reportedly banked $37 million.
Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney was fifth on the list with $32.6 million, while the Manchester City duo of Argentina's Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast took home $29.7 million and $27.8 million respectively.
Completing the top 10 were Chelsea striker Fernando Torres ($26.4 million), Real playmaker Kaka ($24.5 million) and Bayern Munich's Germany captain Philipp Lahm ($22.6 million).
France Football is one of Europe's leading sports magazines, and it formerly organized the Ballon d'Or awards for the continent's top achievers.
The Ballon d'Or has now merged with ruling body FIFA's world player of the year awards.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o profited from joining big-spending Russian outfit Anzhi Machachkala from Inter Milan in August 2011.
England star Wayne Rooney penned a lucrative five-year contract with Manchester United in October 2010, after initially declaring that he wanted to leave the Old Trafford club.
Argentina striker Serguio Aguero is one of two Manchester City players in the top 10 after joining the Abu Dhabi-owned English Premier League club from Atletico Madrid for a reported $62 million in July 2011.
Aguero is joined on the list by City teammate Yaya Toure, the Ivory Coast midfielder who signed for the club from Barcelona in 2010. Toure signed a sponsorship deal with German brand Puma in October 2011.
Spain striker Fernando Torres joined Chelsea from EPL rivals Liverpool in a British-record transfer reported to be worth $80 million in January 2011. Despite his lucrative move, Torres has struggled to find the net during his spell in west London.
Brazil playmaker Kaka was briefly the world's most expensive player when he signed for Real Madrid from AC Milan in 2009. The reported$100 million fee Real paid for his services was beaten later in the same transfer window, when the Spanish club signed Ronaldo.
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm completes the top 10. The Germany skipper attracted controversy last year for releasing a book in which he criticized the training techniques of former Bayern coaches Jurgen Klinsmann and Felix Magath.
Fernando Torres swapped Chelsea for Liverpool on the final day of the January 2011 transfer window. After moving for a British-record transfer fee, believed to be in the region of $80 million, Torres has scored just five goals in a little over 12 months with the club.
In 2001, Real Madrid broke the world transfer record to bring FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane to Spain from Italian club Juventus. The fee for the French World Cup winner was reported to be €86.5 million ($115 million).
Real broke world transfer record again in June 2009, paying a reported $100 million to lure Brazil's Kaka away from Italian club AC Milan.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to Real's archrivals Barcelona during the same transfer window. Barca paid Inter Milan a reported $65 million for the Sweden striker, but he lasted only one season before returning to Italy with AC Milan.
Kaka's time as the world's most expensive player was short, with Real smashing the transfer record once again to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a reported $130 million.
|