Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two highest paid footballers in the world and that too by far with their after-tax salary contracts with Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. We take a look at these two top footballers and their massive salaries as we head to 2016-17 season.
Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are by far the highest paid footballers in the world. Both players have unique contracts with their respective clubs where they are paid salaries after tax. Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid back in 2009 for a world record fee and he became the highest paid player in the world when he signed new 5 year deal with Real Madrid back in 2013 and that will keep him at Madrid until 2018. His new 5 year contract is worth £76 million in total and he will be paid £288,000 a week after tax which means he costs Real Madrid a handsome £30 million a year.
Only Messi and Ronaldo are paid “after tax” salaries apart from them all players have normal before tax contracts. These salary numbers also include some performance claused bonuses and incentives and real salaries might be lower than what are quoted in the media.
When Ronaldo signed this deal, Barcelona also facilitated Messi with a new financially improved contract back in 2014 which will keep the star at Camp Nou till 2018. His new contract will earn him as much as £275,000 a week after tax. That is €20 million a year (£14.5 million) and this is after tax numbers making him second highest paid player in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo. These two are in league of their own both on the pitch and off it as well. They have highly lucrative endorsement deals almost doubling their yearly incomes.
