WANASOKA 10 WENYE MKWANYA MREFU DUNIANI 2014

Football has become a very lucrative career for athletes who make it to the professional level. Part of the reason for this is that sponsorships have greatly increased the revenue that television stations gain by airing football games. This translates to more money for the football players fans are tuning in to see in droves.
The athletes who are the most elite in the sport are offered many sponsorship opportunities that are worth far more than they were in the past due to the advertising that runs during any given football game. The eve of 2014’s World Cup saw many advertisers that wanted nothing more than to have their commercial be a part of the televised event. Many consider the World Cup to be the biggest televised sporting event in the world, making it a gold mine for advertisers.
This list of the best paid soccer stars in the world was constructed by FORBES after careful research that included speaking with the player’s agents, soccer experts, commercial sponsors and talent agencies throughout both Europe and the United States. The figures used to calculate which athletes made it onto this list and which athletes didn’t include their 2013 salaries as well as any bonuses or endorsement deals they received during that year. Transfer fees were not used in the calculations made in regards to this list.
Here is the list of the top 10 highest paid footballers:

#1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid – $73 million

Salary: $49 million
Endorsements: $24 million
Major Sponsors: Nike, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Herbalife
Cristiano R0naldo is a huge football star in both Real Madrid and Portugal. In 2013 he received the Ballon d’Or Award, which is the highest honor an individual athlete can receive in the sport of football. Having also won this award prior to 2013, Renaldo earned it for his impressive performance on the field, which included a total of 69 goals scored in close to 60 country and club competitions held in 2013. As a result he was awarded a contract that lasts five years and is worth $206 million. Renaldo’s handsome face and toned body has earned him countless huge sponsorship deals recently, including one from Tag Hauer. In addition he has his own line of men’s underwear called CR7. This, along with the deal he has with Nike, has put him at the top of the list of the highest paid football players as well as the list of the world’s highest paid athletes.

#2. Lionel Messi, Barcelona – $65 million

Salary: $42 million
Endorsements: $23 million
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Samsung, Pepsi, Turkish Airlines, Herbalife
After winning the Ballon d’Or Award four years in a row Lionel Messi finished 2013 in a runner up position. Companies that have invested a lot of money in Messi include Turkish Airlines and Adidas. Under his Adidas sponsorship Messi was able to launch his own brand of athletic shoes. Most recently Messi has been seen in a commercial with Kobe Bryant, centering on a selfie shootout.
Messi was ordered by the Spanish Tax Authority to pay $6.5 million as a result of tax evasion both he and his father were involved in. He is now almost set to sign another contract, this one being the seventh one he has signed since 2005, that will match what Cristiano Renaldo has been earning and will allow Messi to continue staying at Camp Nou after the year 2018.

#3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain – $34 million

Salary: $30 million
Endorsements: $4 million
Major Sponsors: Nike, Volvo
The previous football season came to an end for Ibrahimovic when he scored 30 soccer goals, giving him the distinction of being the first person to get that many goals in the last 20 years. As a result he was named player of the year. The deal he had signed in 2012, for three years, was extended by one year. Yet the extension didn’t prevent him from being a successful football player in his country.
Even though he scored two goals during playoffs he did not qualify to compete in World Cup of 2014. Though he lacked in sponsorships he made up for it by making a Volvo commercial. It had 4.7 billion YouTube views due to him hunting to the music of Sweden’s national anthem.

#4. Neymar, Barcelona – $28 million

Salary: $12 million
Endorsements: $16 million
Major Sponsors: Nike, Castrol, Panasonic, L’Oreal, Volkswagen
Neymar Jr of Barcelona caused controversy that resulted in club president Sandro Rosell’s indictment and his resignation because he hid the costs of transfer. The club was then able to reveal that Neymar Jr. had signed a contract worth $124 million. He has recently held signings at L’Oreal, upon their release of cologne he designed.

#5. Radamel Falcao, AS Monaco – $26 million

Salary: $23 million
Endorsements: $3 million
Major Sponsors: Puma, Samsung, Gillette
Radamel Falcao, a former player in Spain started playing for France instead. When he did so he got twice the salary he was getting in Spain. He then signed a sponsorship deal with Gillette and was featured in a campaign that ran in his home country.

#6. Gareth Bale, Real Madrid – $24 million

Salary: $15 million
Endorsements: $9 million
Major Sponsors: Adidas, EA Sports, Lucozade
Gareth Bale signed a $118 million deal in September 2013. Bale’s parents earned $3 million from a six year deal given to him. As a result, Bale gets as much as $456,000 a week. During the off season Bale does commentary for BT Sport.

#7. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United – $22 million

Salary: $18 million
Endorsements: $4 million
Major Sponsors: Nike, Samsung, Harper Collins
Manchester United offered Wayne Rooney a four-year extension on his contract making it worth as much as $104 million. Part of the deal is finding endorsement opportunities for Rooney. Currently he only has endorsement deals with Harper Collins and Nike.

#8. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City – $21 million

Salary: $17 million
Endorsements: $4 million
Major Sponsors: Puma, Pepsi, Gillette
In May of 2013 Sergio Aguero was given a contract extension that increases his salary and keeps him in the Man City club until 2017. Ageuro extended an offer to five other players to pay each of their salaries. In addition he has a long term endorsement deal with Puma that began in 2011 and made him the best paid soccer player.

#9. Yaya Toure, Manchester City – $21 million

Salary: $18 million
Endorsements: $3 million
Major Sponsor: Puma
In April of 2014 Yaya Toure signed a deal keeping him with the Ethihad Stadium until 2017. Though it had no effect on his salary he continues to be charitable.

#10. Fernando Torres, Chelsea – $10 million

Salary: $17 million
Endorsements: $3 million
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Pepsi
Fernando Torres of Chelsea has a contract that pays him $200,000 per week. He is also a paid spokesperson for Adidas.