Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who is world's highest paid footballer?

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the most paid footballers in the world.

However, many football fans don’t know about how these players compare to their fellow footballers.

Following are the top 5 most paid football players in the world in accordance with their annual salary without any inclusion of bonuses and endorsements, as per Football 365.

5) Lionel Messi (£55m per year)

Four players do in fact make more money than Lionel Messi as his fans might have anticipated him to be ranked higher.

He signed a £55 million contract to play for Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. He had an immediate impact, helping the team win the Leagues Cup and advance David Beckham's team to the Champions Cup this season.

4) Kylian Mbappe (£62m per year)

Although Kylian Mbappe, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, is now the fourth-highest paid football player in the world, earning £7 million more annually than Messi; his pay is expected to increase when he signs with Real Madrid this summer as a free agent.

3) Karim Benzema (£85m per year)

One can't get much bigger than Saudi Arabia even when they win the Ballon d'Or, as they gave the captain of Real Madrid the second-highest wage in football and enticed him to the Middle East.

2) Neymar (£86m per year)

Neymar may not be nearly the player he was before his knee burst, but he will always be a footballer who is adored by fans and despised by opponents despite his current injury.

Following Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the top players of this generation, he is currently making a tonne of money at PSG after being declared surplus to requirements.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo (£173m per year)

The world's highest-paid football player is none other than Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo.

The legendary player of Real Madrid and Manchester United has been putting on a show for Al-Nassr while amusing those of us who don't watch the Saudi Pro League with his controversial actions that have gained widespread attention on social media.