The Barcelona talisman, Lionel Messi signed a new contract in November 2017 which propelled him to the top of the list, being the best paid player on the planet. His rates are astonishing at £7.3million(Sh947m) a month before tax nearly twice the amount that Cristiano Ronaldo does at Juventus. He beats his long-term rival Ronaldo, who comes second and earns a staggering £4.1m (Sh534m) a month before tax.
It’s no secret that modern-day players are paid huge sums of money but the amount Messi receives on a monthly basis is extraordinary even by footballers’ standards. Surprisingly, coming in third is Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid who earns £2.9m (€3.3m) a month following his well-publicised contract renewal before the World Cup this summer.
In L’Equipe’s annual salary report, the French news outlet revealed who the 10 best-paid footballers in Europe are going by monthly wage before tax. Of these 10, five play in Spain, a pair play in France and England respectively while just the one player features in Italy. Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar follows Griezmann with reported monthly earnings of £2.7m (€3.06m) while Luis Suarez completes the top five with a monthly wage of £2.5m (€2.9m). Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale (£2.2m), Philippe Coutinho (£2m), Alexis Sanchez (£2m), Kylian Mbappe (£1.5m) and Mesut Ozil (£1.4m) complete the list.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski failed to break into the top 10 list with a reported monthly earning of £1.2m (€1.33m) in the Bundesliga. L’Equipe also released the top earners in Ligue 1, and unsurprisingly, the top five was dominated by PSG players. With Neymar and Mbappe leading the way, Edinson Cavani (£1.3m), Thiago Silva (£1m) and Angel Di Maria (£1m) complete the list.
The French newspaper also reported that Mbappe’s monthly wage increase by £160,000 (€180,000) between his first and second season at the Parisan club following his big-money switch from Monaco.