Who are the highest earning players in men’s and women’s football?

This summer saw women’s football break-records both on and off the pitch at the Women’s World Cup in France.

Almost 12 million Brits tuned in to watch England take on the USA in the semi-final of the competition, setting a UK record for viewers of the sport in what was also the highest peak television audience of the year to date.

The Americans went on to retain the trophy for a fourth time with a 2-0 victory over Netherlands, with Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle scoring to secure the USA their fourth WWC.

World Cup Golden Ball and Boot winner Megan Rapinoe wants to see equal pay in the women’s game.

But as the silverware was lifted by the worthy winners bearing their hard-earned gold medals, the expected chants of ‘USA! USA!’ soon became calls for ‘Equal pay! Equal pay!’ sparking the debate: should women footballers be paid in-line with their male counterparts?

This is an important discussion to be had but it got us thinking about how much the top women footballers actually earn in comparison to men?

The latter have seen their salaries inflate over the past decade, so much so that Aaron Wan-Bissaka (a 21-year-old full-back with one full season of senior football under his belt) is earning around the same £90,000 per week a prime Andres Iniesta was in 2009.

So how big is actually the current pay-gap between the genders? Here’s the top-five annual earners in both men’s and women’s football.

5. 5) Gareth Bale (£26.4million) / Marta (£307,000) – Gap: £26.093million

Twenty-six million pounds separates the fifth top earning footballers. Welshman Gareth Bale penned a six-year contract with Real Madrid back in 2016, meaning he is set to earn £217.8million on this deal alone, which alone could be the reason Los Blancos are struggling to offload the winger,

On the other hand, we have Marta who has arguably been the face and certainly a pioneer of women’s football for years. She plies her trade at Orlando Pride and is the all-time top goal scorer in the Women’s World Cup, scoring 17 goals in 20 matches on the greatest stage of all.

4. Luis Suarez (£30million) / Carli Lloyd (£311,000) – Gap: £29.689million

Two deadly strikers make up the number-four spot on our comparison list, only separated by a mere £29.7million per year! Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has won accolades on both a personal level, club level and international level, but the Uruguayan will still feel he has a lot more to achieve despite turning 32 earlier this year.

Carli Lloyd is a superstar for Sky Blue FC. The forward is an iconic figure in women’s football and is a fan-favourite in the United States; especially after scoring a hat-trick in the victorious 2015 World Cup final. Lloyd is considered one of the best of all time and is one of the most vocal players over equal pay.

3. Neymar (£32.4million) / Wendie Renard (£314,000) – Gap: £32.086million

Current Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is regarded as one of the best footballers aound, possessing the ability to pick up a game by the scruff of the neck and win it for his side. This was clearly shown by his Man of the match performance for Barcelona when he helped them overturn a 4-0 first leg defeat to PSG and help them win 6-5 on aggregate in 2017. The Brazilian is hot property and is rumoured to be looking for a move out of France, which is sure to hand the superstar another wage increase.

The third highest-earner in women’s football is defender Wendie Renard. The towering centre-back is the captain of Lyon and France and is regarded one of the best in the world. Being able to quickly stop her opponent and instantly fuel an attack from deep, Renard earns a substantial fee compared to her teammates but it is still a fraction of what a male equivalent is taking home.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (£49.2million) / Amandine Henry (£325,000) – Gap: £48.875million

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest footballers of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo is the current second-highest earner on the list. The superstar has enjoyed success at Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus over the course of his prestigious career. Despite being 34-years-old, the Portugal captain seems in no hurry to slow down, scoring 21 goals in 31 appearances last season as he won the league title in a third different country.

France international Amandine Henry is a versatile, creative midfielder who is willing to work incredibly hard for her team, both offensively and defensively. She has spent the majority of her career playing for Lyon, where she has had two spells at the French side. Henry won the Silver Ball Award at the 2015 Women’s World Cup and also came second in the UEFA Best Women’s Best Player in Europe Award in the same year.

1. 1) Lionel Messi (£87.6million) / Ada Hegerberg (£361,000) – Gap: £87.239million

Unsurprisingly the highest-earning footballer of all-time is Lionel Messi. The magician earns a substantial amount each year and is set to continue earning that until 2021 when his contract at his boyhood club Barcelona expires. The Argentine earns a staggering £33-a-minute and, despite being arguably the greatest player to ever grace the field, that statistic is nothing less than mind-boggling.

The highest earning women’s footballer is Ada Heberberg, who earns 242 times less than Messi in her annual salary. The Lyon star is an incredible forward who possesses power, speed and can finish from almost anywhere. The Norwegian has averaged more than a goal a game at every level of club competition she has played in and was the first winner of the Ballon d’Or Feminin last year. Despite that, she didn’t appear at the World Cup after walking away from her national team in 2017 having become frustrated with a “lack of respect” for female players.