- Lionel Messi, Barcelona
Name: Lionel Messi
Age: 30 years
Argentine nationality
Current team: Barcelona
Current salary: 46 million euros
Total profits with advertising contracts: 68.6 million euros
Main features: Strategic passes, dribbles, long distance auctions, game creativity
When we reach the two highest paid players in the world it is as if we enter a different league, a podium where only two can fit, since the value of salaries and advertising contracts are more than double in relation to the third placed on our list. Argentine Lionel Messi is currently the second best paid player in the world. He came to this position after a consistent path and a recognized merit that comes from his childhood. On the other hand, the results achieved speak for themselves: it is the best Argentine ever. He won the Juniors World Championship in 2005 and won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards in that same competition, won an Olympic gold medal for his participation in the 2008 Olympic team and was sponsored by Diego Maradona as his successor. Further,
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, and was there when he was 6 years old he joined one of the local clubs to start his training in football, the Newell’s Old Boys. During the six years he played for this club, Messi scored nearly 500 goals for his team, considered almost invincible. However, when he was 10 years old, Messi was diagnosed with a deficiency in the production of growth hormones. Given that the treatments were too expensive to be covered by his family or financed by his team, where he was already considered a star, he had to look for an alternative that would not compromise the young player’s health or the potential of this soccer player in full ascension. Conversations began with Barcelona in search of transferring the young promise to Spain, so that he could afford his treatment and at the same time continue to develop his football. That almost impossible effort ended up bearing fruit: the following year, when Messi was 11 years old, he ended up moving to be part of Barcelona and started training at the Camp Nou.
His adaptation was not easy, he was known to be a shy and somewhat distant boy, but in 2003, after spending four years training and a close relationship with this club, he was finally part of the Barcelona B booking team, with all eyes on him and his evolution as a footballer.
In 2005, when he was 18 years old, it would be one of the most important moments of his career, since he was offered the possibility of signing a contract with Barcelona to be part of the first team, with a clause of rescission that amounted to the 150 million euros. His success was tremendous. He managed to win numerous titles with Barcelona, taking the fourth Golden Boot in the 2016-2017 season and affirming himself as a real crack and captain of the team with an unbreakable character, a great consistency as a player and a great spirit of leader. He recently signed a new contract with FC Barcelona, becoming the highest paid soccer player in the world.
- Neymar Jr., PSG
Name: Neymar Jr.
Age: 26 years
Nationality: Brazilian
Current team: Paris Saint-Germain
Current salary: 36 million euros
Total profits with advertising contracts: 31.7 million euros
Main characteristics: Strategic passes, dribbling, crossings, creativity in the game.
Neymar is often compared to Brazilian football legend Pele, in part because he recovers both the beautiful and artistic style of play on the turf as the dribbling, the agility of feet, and a certain ability to simplify the game when you need to make many goals. . Neymar is also the fourth best player in history in the ranking of goals scored by the Brazilian national team, adding 52 goals in 81 games since he made his debut with the national team at the age of 18.
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior adopted the same name as his father, who was a football player in his childhood. The father of Neymar Jr has always been an indispensable companion for the development of his skills as a footballer. In 2003, with only 11 years, Neymar was already part of the junior team of Santos Fc, an important Brazilian club. Later, at age 17, he signed his first contract as a professional, which led him to the first Santos team and guaranteed his first sponsorships.
From 2009 to 2013, Neymar became a leading figure in Brazilian football, always as an advanced player for Santos and winning several times the distinction of Best South American Player of the Year.
In 2013 comes the moment of real valorization of the player, when Barcelona buys his pass for an estimated value of 57.1 million euros. In 2017 he makes history again by being the protagonist of the most valuable transfer in the history of football, with his signing for Paris Saint-Germain in exchange for 222 million euros.
Neymar is surely one of the figures in football that gains the most from advertising contracts and their image rights, with which he gets more than twice his salary as a player. It is the face of advertisements and campaigns of important brands such as Nike, Panasonic, Volkswagen or Banco Santander.
- Oscar, Shanghai SIPG
Name: Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Junior
Age: 26 years
Nationality: Brazilian
Current team: Shanghai SIPG
Current salary: 24 million euros
Total profits with advertising contracts: 7 million euros
Main features: Game creation, dribbling, great vision, last pass, good shot.
Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Junior, better known as “Oscar”, is a Brazilian attacking footballer born in Sao Paulo who began his career at San Roque, until when he was 13 years old he joined Sao Paulo, where he would debut as a professional player in the year 2008 and would play with the first team with only 17 years. After some legal problems with his pass, he finally joined the SC International and played a very important role during his second season, getting 13 goals and 13 assists and creating a name in international football.
In 2012, Oscar had already debuted with the Brazilian national team after winning the U-20 World Cup and, after linking his name with several major teams in Europe, the Brazilian finally signed for England’s Chelsea in exchange for 25 million euros. Euros During his stay in London, Oscar managed to be a UEFA Europa League champion and other important titles such as the Premier League and the League Cup. However, his performance at Chelsea was not as successful as expected, so that at the end of his stay in the English team, Antonio Conte (the coach at that time) hardly had him on the team.
It was then, even with 25 years and after having played a total of 203 meetings with the London team, Oscar decided to leave Chelsea in 2016 to join the Shanghai SIPG with his compatriot Hulk in exchange for 61 million euros, thus becoming the most expensive transfer in the history of Chinese football and one of the most expensive ever.
- Alexis Sanchez, Manchester United
Name: Alexis Sanchez
Age: 29 years
Chilean nationality
Current team: Manchester United
Current salary: 23 million euros
Total profits with advertising contracts: 15 million euros
Main characteristics: Strategic passes, goals, dribbling, crosses, creativity in the game.
Alexis Alejandro Sanchez, better known as Alexis, was born in Tocopilla (Chile) in 1988. Being only a boy, Alexis tries out in several children’s teams demonstrating his talent until he becomes part of C.D Cobreloa and climbs quickly to play in the Adult Division. After debuting causing great sensation, Alexis gets to earn the nickname of “Child Wonder” and is one of the youngest players to debut in the Copa Libertadores with only 16 years. Alexis played 22 games in the Clausura and scored 9 goals in 12 games during the 2006, year in which he was hired by Udinese fc of Italy in exchange for 3 million dollars.
To avoid cutting his progression, Udinese decided to keep Alexis on loan at Colo-Colo, a team that helped him obtain several titles before joining River Plate in Argentina, where he had a successful step before finally arriving in Udinense at the 2010 season. After standing out in the Italian championship and being named “Best Player of the Italian League”, in 2011 his transfer to the Spanish giant FC Barcelona would come in exchange for 37 million euros. In Barcelona, the “Wonder Child” gets several Spanish and international titles and receives very good reviews from both the press and the fans.
In 2014, Arsenal signed Alexis in exchange for 42 million euros that they paid to FC Barcelona. In the English club, Alexis shows remarkable performance despite the fact that the results of the team do not accompany, and with his team, Alexis helps Chile to be champion of the Copa America in 2015 and 2016 consecutively. Due to his great performance, Manchester United decides to undertake his signing in January 2018, becoming the highest paid player in the Premier League with a contract of 23 million euros per year.
- Ezequiel Lavezzi, Hebei Fortune
Name: Ezequiel Lavezzi
Age: 32 years
Argentine nationality
Current team: Hebei Fortune
Current salary: 22 million euros
Total profits with advertising contracts: 4 million euros
Main features: Goal shots, mid-distance shots, delivery
Ezequiel Lavezzi, also known as “El Pocho” Lavezzi, is a 32-year-old Argentine soccer player who was trained in the youth categories of Rosario Central. After testing in Europe and Boca Juniors without much success, Lavezzi wanted to leave football, although he tried again through a test with Homemade Students thanks to the insistence of his brother because he did not abandon the sport. There, Lavezzi began his first steps as a professional at age 17.
With 19 years, the Italian Genoa took his pass and left him on loan to the Argentine club of San Lorenzo de Almagro, where he had such a prominent role that the Argentine team decided to buy his pass in full and managed to be champion. Shortly after, in the year 2006 Lavezzi makes the definitive jump to Europe signing for the SSC Napoli in exchange for 6 million euros. “El Pocho” stands out and manages to classify his team for the Champions League (a tournament they did not have access to for 21 years) and win the Italian Cup against Juventus, also debuted with the Argentine national team in 2007. With a total of 48 goals between league and Copa during his stay in Napoli, Lavezzi signed in 2012 for Paris Saint-Germain of France in exchange for 31 million euros.
During the four seasons that Lavezzi spends in France, “El Pocho” becomes a popular figure among PSG fans, although his numbers were not particularly satisfactory. Although he left memorable moments between the fans with goals that led to the victory in important confrontations, Lavezzi did not amply demonstrate what was expected of a signing like his. Despite this, the fans of Paris Saint-Germain fired Lavezzi with great affection after meeting the signing of the Argentine for Hebei Fortune of the Super League of China in exchange for 6 million euros and a millionaire contract.