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Football as a sport has transformed dramatically over the years. But nothing has changed more than the financial aspect of the game. Top players across European leagues have signed multi-million dollar contracts with their clubs, so it's no wonder why the top three earning athletes in the year last year were all professional footballers (as per Forbes).
Clubs all across Europe who have found generous sponsors backing them are not only breaking the bank for the player they want but are also outbidding their rivals in offering lucrative deals to the stars, which sometimes makes us wonder is football turning into just another money making business for the rich?
Nonetheless, given the performances from the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo day in and day out for their clubs, pushing themselves to their physical limits, one might be prompted to say money well spent.
So, with the 2019-20 season on the horizon, we have compiled the list of the highest earners from each of the Europe's top five leagues, from the lowest earner to the highest (EPL, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A), with the usual suspects and some names that might surprise you.
(Figure Courtesy: L'Equipe)
Also see : Barcelona Transfer News, Arsenal Transfer News, Manchester united Transfer News.
#5 Robert Lewandowski - Bundesliga
Robert Lewandowski is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in German top-flight. He's won the Bundesliga top scorer award on four occasions, only former Bayern Munich superstar Gerd Muller has more, with seven honors to his name.
The Polish striker's fortunes changed when he switched his Borussia Dortmund jersey for the Bavarians and not only did he enjoy a trophy-laden spell with the record German champions, he also pocketed a handsome amount of money doing so, with his latest contract with them earning him a monthly salary of €1.33 million.
Though Bundesliga is not usually associated with big money moves or huge deals for the players, the amount of money spent by the reigning champions to retain a player of the caliber of Lewandowski is completely justified. There's no Bayern Munich supporter who will raise an eyebrow over the wage of this goal machine of a man, who has scored 20 or more goals in each of the last four seasons.
With his current contract running until the 2021 season, it would be fair to assume that he'll retain his place as the highest earner in the German football for at least one more season.
#4 Alexis Sanchez - Premier League
Manchester United are no strangers to splashing the cash, without much of a second thought. The ridiculous amount of money they are shelling out for Alexis Sanchez, a player who has only seven goals and seven assists in his entire career at the Old Trafford, is a perfect example of the same.
Though he is nowhere close to being the player that the club thought they had signed, he remains the Premier League's highest earner, with a monthly salary of €2.28million.
The closest any player comes to his figures is his former teammate and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, yet another player who has drawn severe criticism from his fans following his disappointing performances which do not justify why the player is putting a strain on their resources, as he is credited with a salary of €1.6 million every month.
Though Sanchez showed glimpses of brilliance in his recent outings with Chile in the Copa America, only time will tell whether he can finally recover his form and be worthy of the coveted No.7 Manchester United jersey, if not his ridiculously high salary.
#3 Neymar - Ligue 1
Neymar became the world's most expensive football player in history when he signed for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a whopping €222 million.
Although one would expect him to be the highest earning player on the planet as well, given PSG's propensity to go over the top in the financial department, he's only the third-highest earner in the sport, with a monthly salary of €3.06 million, a figure almost double the salary of Mbappe, the second highest earner in the league behind him.
Unsurprisingly, all five of Ligue 1's top earners play for the French Champions, with Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva, and Angel Di Maria behind both Neymar and Mbappe.
Despite earning three times more than what he used to make with his former club Barcelona, he doesn't seem happy with his current situation and is reportedly keen on a move away from his current club. Money doesn't buy happiness, does it?
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - Serie A
Well, as they say, the best things in the world command the highest value, so do the top football players in the world. As we reach the end of the list it should become pretty obvious that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will take the top two spots on our list.
Juventus forward Ronaldo, one of the highest earning athletes in the world for a brief period between 2016 and 2017, reportedly took a wage cut to join the Old Lady last summer, but still managed to be the highest paid football player in the Serie A, with a monthly wage of €4.7 million.
He enjoyed a fairly successful debut season with his new club and even lifted a second major silverware with his country in UEFA Nations League last month, so despite his age he is one of the top players out there and it's not at all surprising to see his name on top of this listing.
He makes the most of his incredible earnings and has an exquisite collection of top-end supercars that he flaunts from time to time on his social media posts.
#1 Lionel Messi - La Liga
Obviously, the highest earning player in Spanish La Liga had to be Lionel Messi, who takes home a handsome sum of €8.3 million a month before tax, which also make him the highest earning footballer in the world by quite some margin.
After he signed a bumper deal with Barcelona in 2017 that keeps him at the Nou Camp through the 2021 season, he became the highest earning footballer in the world and even topped the Forbes list of highest-earning athletes this year.
Messi had a fabulous season with the Catalans but was yet again left wanting for success with Argentina as they were knocked out of the competition by hosts Brazil.
Well, if you make more than €192 per minute with your club, it is expected that you keep your best for them, but we all know all the money in the world can't give the 32-year-old the satisfaction that lifting a trophy with Albiceleste will.
Well, whether successful with Argentina or not it won't change the fact that he is set to be the highest earner in the sport for the foreseeable future.
Only Mbappe would be able to match his earnings and might even become the first player in history with monthly earning going into double figures.
