Following Graziano Pelle’s move to the Chinese Super League, SASoccermag.co.za looks at the ten biggest earners in world football.
The Italian international swapped Southampton for Shandong Luneng last week in a deal worth £12-million but it was the player’s wages which grabbed the headlines.
Pelle has now joined the likes Jackson Martinez, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Hulk inside the top 10 as players plying their trade in the lucrative league in China.
Manchester United’s latest recruit Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the only Premier League player inside the top 10 while Barcelona are represented by Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Top 10 best-paid players in the world (wages per year):
10. Thiago Silva (PSG) – €12-million
9. Jackson Martinez (Guangzhou Evergrande) – €12.5-million
8. Ezequiel Lavezzi (Hebei China Fortune) – €13-million
7. Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) – €13.5-million
T5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) – €16-million
T5. Graziano Pelle (Shandong Luneng) – €16-million
4. Neymar (Barcelona) – €19-million
T2. Hulk (Shanghai SIPG) – €20-million
T2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – €20-million
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – €21-million
