With Gareth Bale signing a new contract with Real Madrid, the Telegraph has reviewed the list of the 20 highest paid players on the planet.
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| 1. Gareth Bale/Real Madrid (£350,000/week, after tax):The new contract signed with the Bernabeu team has made the former Tottenham midfielder the highest paid player in the world at the moment. The salary of 350,000 pounds (after tax) has helped Bale far surpass his senior Cristiano Ronaldo, the king of Real's salary for many years. Bale's new contract with the Spanish royal team will last until 2022 with a contract release fee of up to 1 billion pounds. |
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| 2. Lionel Messi/Barcelona (£336,000/week, after tax):The Argentine player still has two years left on his contract with Barcelona. According to many reputable sources, Barca's board of directors will soon offer a new contract to tie down the owner of 5 FIFA Ballon d'Or awards. |
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| 3. Ronaldo/Real Madrid (£288,000/week, after tax):Many newspapers reported that Ronaldo's request to renew his contract was flatly rejected by Real. However, CR7 is still one of the most important players at the Bernabeu. |
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| 4. Hulk/Shanghai SIPG (£320,000/week):Ignoring many invitations from top European teams, Hulk decided to give up top-level football to play in China when he was entering the prime of his career. |
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| 5. Paul Pogba/Man United (£290,000/week):Pogba became the most expensive player in history after returning to Old Trafford in the transfer window last season. However, what the French player showed on the field was not really worthy of the money that MU had to pay. |
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| 6. Graziano Pelle/Shandong Luneng (£290,000/week):Despite his relative lack of fame in Europe, the Italian is still paid the sixth highest salary in the world by Shandong Luneng. According to Opta's calculations, Pelle will receive a total of 38 million euros in salary after the end of his two and a half year contract with the Chinese football giant. |
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| 7. Neymar/Barcelona (£270,000/week):By signing a 5-year contract with the Nou Camp team, Neymar has become the second highest paid player at Barcelona. Accordingly, the binding effect between Neymar and Barca will last until June 30, 2021. |
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| 8. Wayne Rooney/Man United (£260,000/week):The MU captain has lost his place in the Red Devils' squad under new coach Jose Mourinho. Many newspapers have confirmed that giants from the Chinese Super League are ready to roll out the red carpet to welcome Rooney with a salary of up to 500,000 pounds/week. |
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| 9. Robin Van Persie/Fernebahce (£240,000/week):Rejected by Louis Van Gaal, the Dutch striker moved to play for a Turkish football giant with a salary among the top in the world. |
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| 10. Yaya Toure/Man City (£230,000/week):Like Schweinsteiger, Yaya Toure is still earning £230,000 a week despite not playing. The former Barcelona midfielder's contract with the Etihad Stadium team will end next summer. |
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| 11. Sergio Aguero/Man City (£230,000/week):The Argentine striker became the highest-paid player at the Etihad Stadium after signing a one-year contract extension with Manchester City in September. Aguero is currently second in the Premier League's top scorers list with seven goals after 10 matches. |
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| 12. Asamoah Gyan/Shanghai SIPG (£227,000/week):Not a very good striker, but the former Sunderland player still received a huge salary after deciding to move to play in the Chinese Super League. |
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| 13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic/Man United (£220,000/week):Ibrahimovic moved to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window after his contract with Paris Saint Germain ended. At the moment, the Swedish striker is struggling with a streak of 6 scoreless matches. |
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| 14. Ezequiel Lavezzi/Hebei Fortune (£222,000/week):Leaving behind his top-flight career, the former Napoli midfielder decided to follow the call of money from the Chinese Super League. |
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| 15. David Silva/Man City (£210,000/week):With a new contract signed in 2014, the Etihad team tied down the talented midfielder of Spanish football until the summer of 2019. Silva was one of the first players to lay the foundation for Manchester City to challenge Europe. |
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| 16. Luis Suarez/Barca (£205,000/week):Since moving to the Nou Camp in 2014, the Uruguayan player has scored 94 goals in 109 appearances. Recently, Suarez surpassed Ronaldo and Higuain to win the "Golden Boot 2016" award. |
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| 17. David De Gea/Man United (£200,000/week):After the famous "fax machine jam" anecdote, the Red Devils' leadership immediately tied De Gea down with a 4-year contract and the second highest salary in the Premier League. |
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| 18. Bastian Schweinsteiger/Man United (£200,000/week): The German veteran is one of the highest paid players in the world right now. Under Mourinho, Schweinsteiger has not played a single game, even for the U23 team. However, that does not change the fact that the Red Devils' board still has to pay the midfielder £200,000/week. |
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| 19. Eden Hazard/Chelsea (£200,000/week):With a contract signed in the summer of 2015, the Belgian midfielder became the highest-paid player of The Blues. Currently, Eden Hazard is an indispensable name in the 3-4-3 formation that Conte is building. |
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| 20. Thiago Silva/PSG (£185,000/week):Joining PSG in 2013, the Brazilian centre-back has always been a solid support for the French champions' defence. Recently, Thiago Silva has extended his contract with the Parc des Princes team by one year until the summer of 2018. With the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the former AC Milan centre-back has become PSG's highest-paid player. |
According to Zing
