World`s richest footballers : Ronaldinho

David Beckham

Nationality: British

Current Club: Paris Saint Germain

Net worth: £175m

David Beckham continues to capture the imagination of football fans over the globe even though he is well past his best years on the field.

The former Manchester United star is the wealthiest footballer in the planet, ahead of the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

Beckham recently surprised everyone by moving to French club Paris Saint Germain and won hearts by declaring that the salary he’ll earn will be donated to a children’s charity. He moved to the club after spending five years with Major Soccer League club LA Galaxy.

Beckham with a net worth of £175m tops the list of richest footballers.

Lionel Messi

Nationality: Argentine

Current Club: FC Barcelona

Net worth: £115.5m

Lionel Messi won the FIFA Ballon d`Or for the fourth time which sealed all the arguments over the best footballer on the planet. In 2012, Messi broke Gerd Mueller’s record of most goals in a year. He is also currently the leading goals scorer in La Liga for the 2012-13 season.

The Argentine is hailed as the greatest ever but his critics argue over the point of his performance for his country and the fact that he is yet to win the FIFA World Cup trophy. Nevertheless, his record breaking feats continue and he recently broke another record for scoring in consecutive league games.

Lionel Messi with a net worth of £115.5m is the second richest footballer on the planet.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Nationality: Portuguese

Current Club: Real Madrid

Net worth: £112m

Cristiano Ronaldo joined his dream club Real Madrid from Manchester United for a record transfer fee that made him the most expensive footballer in the history of the game. CR7, as he is known among his fans, has justified the price tag by earning the name of goal machine leading the team to a record 32nd La Liga title.

The Portuguese is often compared with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi with the fans locked in a perpetual argument debating who is better.

Ronaldo was adjudged the best footballer in the world in 2008 while he was still playing for Manchester United. Twice he has ended as being runner-up to Messi.

Ronaldo with a net worth of £112m is the third wealthiest footballer in the world.

Kaka

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: Real Madrid

Net worth: £66.5m

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite or Kaka moved to Real Madrid from AC Milan in 2009 after a successful stint that saw him winning the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007. In the same year he won the UEFA Champions League with the club when they defeated Liverpool in the final at Athens.

Since his move to the Spanish club, the Brazilian has failed to replicate his exploits at Santiago Bernabeu.

Injuries and a loss of form have kept him out of spotlight. In 2013, speculations were rife that the 30-year-old might return to Italy to reunite with his former club but the talks eventually stalled.

Kaka with a net worth of £66.5m is the fourth wealthiest footballer in the world.

Ronaldinho

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: Atletico Mineiro

Net worth: £63m

The crafty Brazilian wizard has won everything in his career — UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, League titles et al. The 33-year-old began his footballing career with Grêmio of Brazil and since then has gone on to play for clubs in France, Italy and Spain.

After joining Spanish club Barcelona from Paris Saint Germain, he won the FIFA World Player of the year in 2004, a year when the club also became the La Liga champion as well. He won the best footballer award in the next season as well. In 2006, with Barcelona, he won the UEFA Champions League as well as the La Liga title.

His next club was Italian giants AC Milan, and after a stint of three years made his way back to Brazil to join Flamengo in 2011. He currently plays for Atlético Mineiro.

Ronaldinho with a net worth of £63m is the fifth wealthiest footballer on the planet.