David Beckham is the best paid footballer in the world, according to a survey published in France Football magazine.
The Real Madrid midfielder is estimated to earn €25m a year, ahead of Real Madrid team mates Ronaldo, who earns €19.6m a year, and Zinedine Zidane, on €13m.
The three each have salaries of €6.4 m and collect €200,000 a year in bonuses. But it is off the pitch that Beckham earns the bulk of his income.
The England skipper earns an additional €18.4m in sponsorship deals, with Ronaldo receiving €13m for his commercial deals and Zidane earning €6.4m per year.
Inter striker Christian Vieri is fourth in the standings, earning €12m a year, followed by Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero on €9.5m and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on €9.4m.
Jose Mourinho, manager of English Premier League champions Chelsea, clearly benefits from owner Roman Abramovich’s big spending policy, earning 7.5 million euros a year.
Five managers working in England are in the top 10 with Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho earning €7.5m a year, while Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson is the next best paid manager on €6m a year, ahead of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (€5.8m) and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger (€4.m). Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is ninth with €2.6m a year.
