THE RICH LIST

LIONEL MESSI MAY BE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD, BUT HE IS WELL SHORT OF BEING THE HIGHEST EARNER IN THE GAME

- Mark Gleeson

Lionel Messi would be presumed to be the best paid footballer on the planet, but the World Cup-winning captain is not top of the list... in fact, he is not even second or third.

Instead, the 35-year-old Argentine genius clocks in at fourth on the list of the best-paid footballers, according to data assembled by some of the world's top soccer reporters.

It must be noted that none of the sums have never been verified by the clubs, who understandably keep such figures confidential, but the actual numbers are relatively conservative in comparison to some of the wild claims made on the internet and social media.

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia lifted him into the earnings stratosphere, with the effect that he makes double the amount of money of the next man on the list, who is Kylian Mbappé.

Oil money is at the heart of the considerable pay packages of the top four on the list while the proxy battle between the Saudis and Qatar plays out.

The 38-year-old Ronaldo had no hesitation in agreeing to a package close to 200 million euros annually when he moved to Al-Nassr from Manchester United, excluding other more competitive options he might have had around Europe.