Lionel Messi: Barcelona star overtakes rival Ronaldo as best-paid footballer

Lionel Messi will pocket £28m more than Cristiano Ronaldo this season.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has overtaken his rival Cristiano Ronaldo has the highest earning footballer.

Messi and Ronaldo go neck in neck for everything from individual awards to trophies and even personal wages.

According to France Football, this season, Barcelona star will earn £28m more than Ronaldo due to the £500,000-a-week deal he signed in November 2017.

 

Over the course of 2017/2018 season, the Argentina international is expected to earn £110m in gross wages, bonuses and sponsorship deals.

Messi is the first footballer to break through the £100m with Ronaldo set to earn £82m over the course of 2017-18.

 

The increase in Messi’s earnings is as a result of the contract renewal which he signed with Barcelona in November 2017 which stretched his deal until the summer of 2021.

Ronaldo will be sure expected to demand another contract renewal of his own at Real Madrid that would topple his rival Messi.

Neymar's comes third

 

Neymar is the third earning player this season with £71m expected from the lucrative contract he signed with Paris Saint-Germain when he joined from Barcelona last summer.

Gareth Bale of Real Madrid is fourth with  £39m to earn from his contract with Real Madrid.

 

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is expected to earn £25m this season coming in fifth.