The Barcelona star earns a bit more his longtime rival on the list revealed by French publication L’Equipe
Lionel Messi is the highest paid footballer in Europe, beating out Cristiano Ronaldo by over £3 million per month.
French publication L’Equipe has released its annual report of the top football salaries and it is no surprise to see the two stars are at the top of the list.
However, some may be shocked by the order of the names that follow, as well as a couple of inclusions in the group.
The list is made up entirely of players from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, with the Bundesliga the sole top-five league that does not have a representative in the top 10.
Messi leads the way, as the Barcelona talisman and current top scorer in La Liga earns £7.3 million ($9.5m) a month before tax.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in the first year with Juventus, comes in second with a salary of £4.1m, just over half of what his old rival pockets.
While many might expect Neymar to slot in behind, the Paris Saint-Germain star actually clocks in fourth, earning £2.7 million a month.
Instead, it is Atletico Madrid and France star Antoine Griezmann who has the third spot, earning £2.9 million thanks to the new deal he signed with the club after his decision last season to snub Barcelona.
Messi’s team-mate Luis Suarez rounds out the top five, earning £2.5 million to lead the line at Barcelona.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale is sixth on the list, earning £2.2 million at the Bernabeu and is the only Real Madrid representative in the top 10.
Meanwhile, Barcelona has three, as in addition to Messi and Suarez, Philippe Coutinho is seventh on the list, as he earns £2m off the contract he signed with the Liga club in January 2018.
The first Premier League representative is Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez, who likewise earns around £2m per month at Old Trafford.
PSG is once again represented on the list with Neymar’s team-mate Kylian Mbappe pulling in £1.5m.
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Rounding out the top 10 is another Premier League player as Mesut Ozil earns £1.4 million per month with Arsenal.
The highest earning Bundesliga player is Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who missed out with a £1.2m monthly salary.
Neymar and Mbappe were nearly joined on the list by Edinson Cavani, who earns £1.3 million. In fact, all five of the highest paid players in Ligue 1, according to L’Equipe are at PSG, as Thiago Silva and Angel Di Maria round out that top five at around £1m per month.
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