Top 10 Highest-Paid Football Players in the World 

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi

7. Wayne Rooney (DC United) - $27m

Vancouver Whitecaps v D.C. United
Vancouver Whitecaps v D.C. United

Yearly Wages & Bonuses: $22 Million

Endorsement: $5 Million

Wayne Rooney returned to his boyhood club, Everton after an incredible 13-year career at Manchester United. The English football star had signed a $193,000 weekly deal by accepting a fifty per cent pay cut in a bid to move to Merseyside Blue in 2017.

The 32-year-old striker in 2018, signed a three and half year deal with the MLS side, DC United in an undisclosed fee. Most of Rooney’s endorsement earnings comes from Nike, Samsung, EA Sports and HarperCollins.

6. Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior (Shanghai SIPG) - $27.4m

Urawa Red Diamonds v Shanghai SIPG FC - AFC Champions League Group F
Urawa Red Diamonds v Shanghai SIPG FC - AFC Champions League Group F

Yearly Wages & Bonuses: $25.9 Million

Endorsement: $1.5 Million

At the prime of his career, Oscar left Chelsea in a £60m deal to sign for Chinese side, Shanghai SIPG in 2016. The Brazilian forward pockets $515,000 weekly making him the highest earning player in the Chinese Super League. Oscar’s move to the little rising league in China has alienated him in Brazil’s national team.

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