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

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.