With the calendar year coming a close on Friday, here is a recap of who the 10 highest-paid footballers were when 2020 began, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as an FC Barcelona star and a Real Madrid attacker who have so far been considered flop signings.
Click through the gallery above to see 10 best-paid players, and how much they earn annually, in 2020, according to France Football!
Barcelona captain Messi began the year as the highest-earning footballer on earth, with the 33-year-old taking home more than longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has had a superb year with Juventus, did.
Messi reportedly entered 2020 earning about €131 million (R2.3 billion) a year in salary, bonuses and commercial revenue, while his 35-year-old counterpart was believed to be paid about €118 million (R2.1 billion) annually.
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Neymar ranked third on the list, ahead of Gareth Bale, who has since returned to Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Los Blancos. Blaugrana star Antoine Griezmann was fifth among the best-paid players this year, although it was a year he might want to forget.
The Frenchman, who earned €38.5 million (R693 million), has struggled since his arrival at the Camp Nou in 2019, similar to sixth-placed Eden Hazard, who arrived at Real as the club's most-expensive signing in history in July last year but has made just 28 appearances for the team due to a spate of injuries.
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Click through the gallery above to see who else began 2020 among the 10 highest-earning players in the game!
