The Richest players in the world.

[asylumseeker]

Nearly every player in the top-25 could be described as an attacking player (23 out of 25, with Sergio Busquets and probably Paul Pogba as the lone exceptions).

Look for Pogba's "value" to rise. Delightful passer of the ball. Incisive, sublime, gritty. Ah wish he was Italian and not French.

[Flex]

The Most Expensive Athlete In The World Is Valued At $260 Million
Business Insider By Cork Gaines

With the transfer window now open in many of the world's top soccer leagues, the CIES Football Observatory has released their semi-annual list of the most valuable football players in the world.
Lionel Messi of Barcelona in Spain's La Liga tops the list with a staggering transfer value of $262 million (€220 million) and nobody else is even close.

And that would just be the estimated cost of acquiring the rights to the Argentinean footballer. If a team were able to convince Barcelona to sell Messi, the new club would then have to negotiate a new contract with the player.

Messi reportedly makes slightly more than $50 million per year with his current contract at Barça.

There are a lot of valuable athletes in North America, and while this side of the Atlantic uses a different means of transferring players between teams, it is hard to imagine any team would pay $262 million for their rights and then give them a $50 million annual salary.

Messi's transfer value is calculated by examining transfer fees since 2009 and variables such as recent performance, age, position, current contract, and team performance.

For many of the world's top association football leagues, January marks the mid-season transfer window where clubs are given approximately one month to add players from international leagues.

Here is the rest of the top 10:

Lionel Messi, Barcelona (Spain) — $262 million (€220 million)
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid (Spain) — $158 million (€133 million)
Eden Hazard, Chelsea (England) — $118 million (€99 million)
Diego Costa, Chelsea (England) — $100 million (€84 million)
Paul Pogba,  Juventus (Italy) — $86 million (€72 million)
Sergio Agüero, Manchester City (England) — $77 million (€65 million)
Raheem Sterling, Liverpool (England) — $75 million (€63 million)
Francesc Fàbregas, Chelsea (England) — $74 million (€62 million)
Alexis Sánchez, Arsenal (England) — $73 million (€61 million)
Gareth Bale, Real Madrid (Spain) — $71 million (€60 million)

[asylumseeker]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/I73P1Hwc6W4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/I73P1Hwc6W4</a>

... from the Liga MX final this past Sunday. Almost time to call it quits.

[Mose]

Fellas eh learn by now yuh cyah do dat?

BTW, which side he was playing for? If is Santos, ent dem have to play W Connection in CCL this rounds?

[asylumseeker]

... He's with Querétaro, so if anyone pulls a "Tulla Guerra" that would be in Belize. However, I wouldn't bet on Querétaro persisting with Ronaldinho or vice versa. But yuh never know, the club's profile has heightened.

[asylumseeker]

As predicted, Ronaldinho and Querétaro have parted ways (with a year left on the contract). Word has it that he's considering Turkey. The destination is supposedly Antalyaspor, who went down to the second flight the season before last and won promotion immediately this year.

The interesting thing is that Eto'o is said to have signed with the club already (which would mean that the deal he signed with Sampdoria earlier this year is now off the table).

Could be interesting: Ronaldinho AND Eto'o balling at the same club. However, from a point of caution I eh know ... two words come to mind: "Anzhi Makhachkala" ... and those are two words familiar to Eto'o. Time will tell.

[asylumseeker]

R10 to Fluminense (apparently for 200,000 USD per annum with the possibility of an additional 66K per month depending on the success of shirt sales and other marketing initiatives). He announced the move via Twitter yesterday.

[soccerman]

I wonder how much he can make in the MLS? I'd say close to 7 figures.

[pull stones]

wow dinho looks different with a brand new grill.

[asylumseeker]

Ronaldinho leaves Fluminense after just nine appearances in three months
By Stuart Goodwin, The Guardian

Ronaldinho has brought a swift end to his spell with the Brazilian side Fluminense, leaving the club by mutual consent after just nine appearances in three months. During this time he failed to score or provide any assists, and he was booed by his own fans during defeat in the Campeonato Brasileiro to Atlético Mineiro last month.

The former Barcelona and Brazil forward, now 35, had previously played for the Mexican side Querétaro, but moved on with a year left on his contract to return to his homeland.

However, on Monday night the Rio-based club, in a statement on their website, said: “Fluminense hereby announces the end of the contract with Ronaldinho amicably and in mutual agreement between the parties. Fluminense and Ronaldinho retain close ties and plan to work on other projects in the future.

“It should be noted that the player’s hiring met all expectations with regarding to marketing returns, increasing ticket and shirt sales for the club as well as attracting a number of partners. Ronaldinho’s recruitment also showed that Fluminense are capable of attracting the greatest players in world football.”

Fluminense currently sit 12th in Brazil’s top tier, just six points above the relegation places, but Ronaldinho’s failure to add to their goal tally leaves them with a negative goal difference after they could muster only 30 goals from 28 matches, the former international forward Fred having contributed seven.





Things have come to an end with Fluminense. And Ronaldinho ran off the road: one of the few times you won`t see Ronaldinho smiling. Clearly, all is not well.

[Deeks]

Sorry things not looking good for him. But I like he  too bad. One of the best dribblers bar none, when he is fit. Come to the MLS. Not DC though! He needs to go to a Rio Santeria to give him a bush bath. Good luck!!!

[lefty]

Don't tink he have marketing steam to get ah MLS contract, his fall has been too long and too well publicised.

[asylumseeker]

Ronaldinho is a ca$h cow. He was a cash cow for Queretaro and seemingly so for Fluminense. Everyone ends up a winner. To a degree. Thing is he wants to stay associated with the game, and to keep playing. He might not be prepared to face retirement.

[asylumseeker]

Don't tink he have marketing steam to get ah MLS contract, his fall has been too long and too well publicised.

Least of the worries.

[Fyzo10]

Don't tink he have marketing steam to get ah MLS contract, his fall has been too long and too well publicised.

lol what? kaka isnt even close to ronaldinho's popularity yet he was huge when he came to u.s.

[lefty]

Don't tink he have marketing steam to get ah MLS contract, his fall has been too long and too well publicised.

lol what? kaka isnt even close to ronaldinho's popularity yet he was huge when he came to u.s.

Dread kaka qualifies as useful even if not explosively so, dinho has been mostly underwhelming, for how many years now.

[asylumseeker]

To underscore the $ignificance of Ronaldinho as a revenue $tream, please note that Fluminense has included him in their squad for the upcoming Florida Cup.

www.floridacup.com

The pull and magneti$m of this player is phenomenal. Recall he and Fluminense parted ways not too long ago.

Florida massive, nuff said.

[Deeks]

This guy was phenomenal. But his time has passed.

[asylumseeker]

Fluminense confirm Ronaldinho's return for Florida Cup
Business Standard

Ronaldinho will represent his former club Fluminense at an exhibition tournament in the US next month, the Brazilian club confirmed on Thursday.

The 35-year-old left Fluminense by mutual consent in October after failing to score or provide an assist in nine matches for the Rio de Janeiro outfit, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It wasn't a mistake, it was an opportunity," Fluminense president Peter Siemsen told reporters.

"We were frustrated and he was too. It was something we tried and in life that's what you do. When there are opportunities we aren't afraid to take them. We left on good terms."

It is understood that Ronaldinho's return for the Florida Cup honours a clause written into the attacker's contract when he joined Fluminense in July.

Fluminense see his participation as a unique opportunity to promote the club's brand.

The Brazilian side will be among eight teams to compete in the tournament along with Internacional, Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Santa Fe (Colombia).

Ronaldinho to join Fluminense in US friendly event
Business Standard

Brazilian football club Fluminense will take part in a pre-season tournament in the United States in January 2016.

The Rio de Janeiro side struck a deal with tournament organiser Disney after signing two-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner Ronaldinho on Tuesday, reports Xinhua.

"We are going to the United States to play in a tournament in January as part of a deal with Disney. Ronaldinho was the key to it," Fluminense president Peter Siemsen said.

Siemsen did not provide details about which other clubs would participate or where the tournament would be held.

Meanwhile, Ronaldinho could make his debut for Fluminense against Gremio at the Maracana Stadium here on Saturday. The 35-year-old has begun training with the club and will undergo a fitness test later in the week. Ronaldinho joined Fluminense on July 11 after parting with Mexico's Queretaro by mutual consent in June. 

Note: The second article is a July, 2015 article. Good business by Fluminense to preserve the interests related to Disney.

"We are going to Orlando for the Florida Cup, and as a matter of marketing and brand expansion, Ronaldinho will play for us," Fluminense president Peter Siemsen told Radio Tupi.

"Ronaldinho and Fluminense maintain a great respect for each other. And for the American market is very attractive brand of player."

http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2015/12/10/18228342/fluminense-confirm-ronaldinho-return

[asylumseeker]

https://mobile.twitter.com/br_uk/status/772608959848906755/photo/1

[soccerman]

https://mobile.twitter.com/br_uk/status/772608959848906755/photo/1

Lol

[FF]

It's false. Its not in iniesta's book according to Sid Lowe

[asylumseeker]

As gut instinct, I regarded it as dubious based on one key element and decided posting that as a caveat wasn't necessary because it might have occurred to others.

However, Lowe also opines that he cyah discount the story as being false, despite it not being in the book.   

Lowe's 2005 article following the game:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/nov/21/europeanfootball.sport

[Flex]

Messi and Ronaldo may not be the highest-paid soccer players in the world for much longer
Leander Schaerlaeckens, FC Yahoo

Hmmmm, retirement or $40 million a year in China? Let’s think about this …

Remember him?

He was sort of disappointing for West Ham and Manchester United? He scored a ton of goals for Manchester City but then sort of stopped scoring goals for Manchester City? He had two wildly successful years at Juventus, reaching the Champions League final, before returning home to Boca Juniors in Argentina a year and a half ago?

That Carlos Tevez – ring a bell?

Well. Him.

He may well become the best-paid player in the world as the moneyed Chinese Super League continues to go certifiably insane, according to reports. With a deal apparently already in place for cross-town rivals Shanghai SIPG to shell out $75 million for Chelsea’s Brazilian backup attacking midfielder Oscar – which would make the 25-year-old, who has made just five Premier League starts all season, the 10th-most expensive transfer of all time – Tevez is reportedly considering a deal with Shanghai Shenhua that will pay him more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi get.

Tevez is apparently being offered a two-year contract worth about $40 million per year for him to leave Boca during its midseason break. That’s in addition to the $78 million fee Shenhua would pay to Boca.

“I have many problems in my head to think about,” Tevez has said. “Whether in February or March I’m going to be in China. Not only could I leave [Boca], I could also stop playing. I still don’t know what I’m going to do. I reached the end of the year exhausted, with a thousand things in my head. That’s the time to stop a little and think about the future. I think about retiring, yes, that’s why I mention it.”

Plenty of big names have already been lured to China with contracts far above the players’ market value. But, at present, none are bigger than Brazilian forward Hulk’s. And in Oscar, but particularly Tevez, the upstart league, which already has the fifth-highest attendance of any league in the world, would again make real waves in the soccer world.

Tevez’s salary would reportedly be a shade over the wages of Messi and Ronaldo. And knowing how zealously those two renegotiate their contracts every time somebody else catches up to their monster salaries – or even threatens to come close – a 32-year-old Argentine who has never scored more than 23 league goals in a European season making more money in China will surely go over well.

[Deeks]

China doing a Trump. remember the USFL?