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What's the story?
Amidst the ongoing FIFA Women's World Cup in France, the gender pay gap in football has become a matter of debate.
Talking about the gap between the pay scale of the men and women football stars, USA president Donald Trump mentioned Portuguese skipper Cristiano Ronaldo while indicating the massive difference in the wages of men and women footballers.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
In case you didn't know..
Having spent an ornamented nine-year-long spell with Spanish giants Real Madrid, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Juventus in a €100M deal, last summer.
The 34-year-old is earning a staggering €31 million per season at the Old Lady, which makes him the highest paid player in Serie A, earning at least three times more than any other player in the Italian league.
In a recent post highlighting the gap between the wages of male and female football players, UN Women, an arm of the United Nations, pointed out at Cristiano Ronaldo's counterpart Lionel Messi, who makes approximately €87.6 million per year from his salary at the Camp Nou.
"One male soccer player makes almost double the combined salaries of all players in the top seven women's soccer leagues,"
"During the Women's World Cup 2019, join UN Women in demanding equal pay for women in sport." the UN post quoted.
The heart of the matter
Talking about the infamous matter of discussion, USA president Donald Trump said:
"I love watching women's soccer, they’re really talented,"
"I think a lot of it also has to with the economics. I mean who draws more, where is the money coming in"
"I know that when you have the great stars like [Portugal's Cristiano] Ronaldo and some of these stars… that get paid a lot of money, but they draw hundreds of thousands of people.
"But I haven't taken a position on that at all. I'd have to look at it."
So, according to the former American businessman, players like Messi and Ronaldo are being paid more because of the commercial interest and economical boost they offer.
What's next?
Cristiano Ronaldo is relishing an expensive holiday in French Riviera with his children and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, before he turns his head back for the pre-season preparations with the Bianconeri.
