Football Talk - Beckham remains football's biggest earner - 31/03/09
France Football has released its annual list of the highest earners in football and David Beckham, currently on loan at Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, again tops the list with total earnings of €32.4 million in 2008.
Meanwhile, Barcelona's Lionel Messi comes in second place ahead of Ronaldinho with Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo who is the fourth highest paid player at the moment. Thierry Henry, Kaka and Zlatan Ibrahimovic come in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, while three English internationals Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and John Terry complete the top ten.
In terms of coaching, two ex-Chelsea managers lead the way. Inter boss Jose Mourinho earns approximate €11 million, while Luiz Felipe Scolari earns slightly more than the 'Special One' from his contract with the Blues, valued at €12.5 million.
France Football includes salary and endorsements in its calculations. The top ten results for the highest paid players can be seen be below.
Top 10 List (in €)
1. David Beckham (Milan): 32.4 million
2. Lionel Messi (Barcellona): 28.6 million
3. Ronaldinho (Milan): 19.6 million
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): 18.3 million
5. Thierry Henry (Barcelona): 17 million
6. Kaka (Milan): 15.1 million
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter): 14 million
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): 13.5 million
9. Frank Lampard (Chelsea): 13 million
10. John Terry (Chelsea): 11.7 million
