Footballers of the highest caliber earn an astounding amount of money as wages, and when you consider the top football players, their numbers are off the charts. Over the past decade, the sheer amount invested in this sport is just outrageous, and hence we would be listing out some of the highest-paid soccer players this year.
Top 10 Highest Paid Players of 2021
Let us now take a look at the best soccer players who are being paid the highest in 2021,
1. Lionel Messi
Club – FC Barcelona
Paid – $111 million.
One of the most valued and best soccer players in the world, Lionel Messi has borne the brunt of time, criticism, and whatnot over the years. At 33 years of age, he is still a force to reckon and he could easily leave Barcelona and join another club, but the salary he earns is just too much for the club and his competitors. The quality and class he brings to the game are essentially an asset to Barcelona and Argentina. He has enough endorsements and when it comes to competitive soccer player prices, he is the King.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Club – Juventus
Paid – $108 million.
Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018 after having a successful run with Real Madrid with a whopping deal of €100 million. CR7 has been outstanding with Juventus and has scored over 90 goals in 130 matches across all the major league matches. Cristiano Ronaldo is 36 and still one of the world-class players and a prolific footballer in the world. He gets paid €31m as part of his wages every year. He is one of the top-paid soccer athletes in the world.
3. Neymar Junior
Club – Paris Saint Germain (PSG)
Paid – $90 million.
Neymar Jr. is essentially one of the most expensive signings in the history of football. He joined Paris Saint Germain after his run with Barcelona to escape the looming shadow of Lionel Messi. Financially and personally, it has been a successful move for him as he was proved to be an invaluable asset for PSG. He receives €30 million in wages every year for the excellent skills that he brings to the club.
4. Gareth Bale
Club – Real Madrid, on loan at Tottenham Hotspurs
Paid – $34.6 million
Gareth Bale was not picked for many matches with Madrid and was still taking up loads of money every week, so they loaned him to Tottenham Hotspurs. After the initial issues owing to injury, he has hit the ground running with his performance. He has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in the last 8 matches which are commendable thereby earning him the title of a key player for the Spurs.
5. Paul Pogba
Club – Manchester United
Paid – $29.5 million
Paul Pogba is the most valuable player for the Red Devils as of 2021 but he still has to prove his money’s worth yet for the club, £90 million worth of it. Pogba’s performance has been outstanding under Bruno Fernandes, and his worth was highlighted when he missed out on a couple of matches with the team. He earns €19 million in wages annually as part of Manchester United.
6. Oscar
Club – Shanghai Port FC
Paid – $27.4 million
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba is a Brazilian footballer who plays with Shanghai Port FC and internationally with Brazil. He created news owing to his transfer from Chelsea to Shanghai for £60 million. He has had a satisfactory season in the Chinese Super League, scoring 5 goals in 16 matches. Oscar has also become a regular in Asian television commercials earning him a bang for his buck.
7. Wayne Rooney
Club – Derby County as Manager
Paid – $27 million
Wayne Rooney started his career with Everton and worked his way up with notable football clubs particularly Manchester United where he enjoyed a 13-year stint. He is currently employed as a football manager with Derby County wherein he played before as well. He still enjoys a good number of annual wages along with endorsements amounting to $5 million, which is the mark of one of the highest-paid soccer players.
8. Luis Suarez
Club – Atletico Madrid
Paid – $26.9 million
Luis Suarez is an amazing striker and his marketability factor has increased a lot since he transferred to Liverpool. He is currently with Atletico Madrid where his performance has been satisfactory. He has scored 19 goals for the club since his initiation with Atletico and is a valuable addition in every aspect, and is one of the top-paid soccer athletes.
9. Sergio Aguero
Club – Manchester City
Paid – $23 million
Sergio is an Argentine footballer who plays internationally with Argentina and in the club with Manchester City. He was the key to make Manchester City the Premier League Champions in the 2017-18 season and he was amongst the top 10 in the list of highest-paid soccer players in 2019. For the 10 years he is with the club, he has scored 181 goals and is worth every penny for the team.
10. Angel di Maria
Club – Paris Saint Germain
Paid – $22.6 million
Di Maria is currently signed with Paris Saint Germain and is here since 2015 now scoring 51 goals for the club. He was also part of Real Madrid and Manchester United, but his stint with PSG is the longest. Di Maria plays for the national team of Argentina since 2008 and has scored 20 goals for them. He is considered to be one of the best soccer players of the current generation.
Conclusion
There was a time when a million was considered to be one of the heftiest sums in the world of football. Players are now minting money like anything which is a good thing as the sport grows and flourishes in infinite proportions and 2021 has certainly added some fine players to the list when it comes to money. Whatever the soccer player prices may be, if the clubs have to choose the one with the talent, they will shoot for anything to get them.
