Ronaldo Lags As Kaka Tops Wage TableAC Milan's Ricardo Kaka is the highest paid footballer in the world, with Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo in 8th-place. There are also a few notable inclusions and omissions as Goal.com takes a peek at the top-50 earners... World Player of the Year front-runner Cristiano Ronaldo might be setting Europe alight this season, but he only ranks eighth in a list of the world’s most lavishly paid players.
A photocopied list of the top 50 earners is doing the rounds at present, compiled by inside sources, allowing for some interesting wage comparisons.
Milan’s Ricardo Kaka tops the pile – raking in £143,438 per week, or just under £7.5m a year - with second-placed Barcelona ace Ronaldinho making similar money.
As one would expect, big-spending Chelsea’s presence in the top ten hints at their astronomical wage bill. Frank Lampard and John Terry are third and fourth, with Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack also in the top seven.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is sandwiched between his Blues rivals in fifth place, while Barca’s Thierry Henry and Reds’ skipper Steven Gerrard complete the top ten.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, then, is 36-goal Manchester United winger Ronaldo, who earns £20,000 less than Kaka - £122,400 per week. However, an oft-proposed move to La Liga would surely put his earnings into the stratosphere.
There are a few surprising names on the list. Portsmouth's Sol Campbell earns more than £105,000 a week in 15th, while Tottenham's Darren Bent’s salary is put at £94,669 and Liverpool's injury-plagued midfielder Harry Kewell ranks 39th.
England cap centurion David Beckham, meanwhile, is on £71,000 per week with LA Galaxy. However, his position in 44th is slightly misleading, as his MLS contract is structured in such a way that his pay would rise significantly over the coming years.
Still, it’s quite a drop form the reported £120,000 per week he received during his spell at Real Madrid.
The Top Ten
1. Ricardo Kaka
2. Ronaldinho
3. Frank Lampard
4. John terry
5. Fernando Torres
6. Andriy Shevchenko
7. Michael Ballack
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
9. Thierry Henry
10. Steven Gerrard
Other notable mentions include Michael Owen 14, Robinho 23, Zlatan Ibrahimovic 29 and Samuel Eto’o 32. Meanwhile, there are no Arsenal players on the list.
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