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Argentine attacking midfielder Dario Conca was once the world's third-highest earner after only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to SportBible.
Both Messi and Ronaldo are considered two of the greatest players of the 21st century and of all-time. The duo are therefore paid very heavy salaries for what they bring to their respective teams.
However, Conca, a relatively unknown Argentine footballer, was the world's third-highest earner back in 2011.
The attacking midfielder notably had an excellent time with Brazilian outfit Fluminense. Conca played a vital role in guiding the side to their first league title since 1984. He would even go on to win the league's Best Player Award in 2009 and 2010, a year before the award went to a young Neymar Jr.
Due to his impressive performances in Brazil, many clubs across the world were interested in signing Conca. However, the Argentine decided to snub a big move to a European club and instead signed for Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.
According to the aforementioned source, Guangzhou paid a club-record fee of $10 million to sign Conca in 2011. Conca signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Chinese side which saw him pocket £170,000 per week.
In the current market, weekly wages worth £170,000 are considered normal. However, back in 2011, these wages saw Conca third on the list of highest-paid footballers in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The pair were at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively at the time.
Conca had a stellar time with Guangzhou Evergrande, scoring 54 goals and providing 37 assists from 99 appearances. He returned to Fluminense in 2014 before making his way back to the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG in 2015.
Then-Shanghai manager Sven Goran Eriksson even compared Conca to Lionel Messi. He was quoted as saying the following (via SportBible):
“Conca is like Messi, he is the same size, he is left footed, he is a fantastic dribbler and he makes and scores a lot of goals.”
Conca retired from football in 2019 after a short stint with Austin Bold FC in the United States.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had contrasting pre-seasons ahead of next season
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had contrasting pre-season preparations ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Ronaldo is currently not with the Manchester United squad as he did not travel on their pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia citing personal reasons. The 37-year-old forward has expressed his desire to leave Manchester United this summer. He wishes to compete for trophies and play in the UEFA Champions League.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, is currently with Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) squad on their pre-season tour of Japan. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner even scored a goal in PSG's 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale earlier this week.
