#4 Lionel Messi – $73.8 Million
The second-richest footballer in the world ranks fourth on the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
The Argentine professional footballer plays for the Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team as a forward and serves as captain for Argentina.
So far in his career, Messi has received many Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year Nominations and has won them several times.
In November 2014, he became the all-time top scorer in La Liga, and the all-time leading goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
In 2014, Barcelona awarded him with a $9 million per year raise in his 7th contract since 2005 to bring his take home pay to $50 million a year through 2018.
