By Kenneth Afor with agency report

Earnings: $157.37 million
Christiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid footballer of the year.

Despite taking a$6.5 million hit on his wages, the Portuguese’s profile off the pitch is second to none.

The Juventus superstar can command huge endorsement deals and has the highest number of followers on Instagram and Facebook.

According to findings by Comsmedia, Ronaldo is still on course to become only the third active sportsman to earn $1BILLION this season.

Lionel Messi

Earnings: $155.52 million

Messi was locked in another personal battle of his own this year, going up against Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or once again.

While the Argentine emerged victorious in December for his performances on the pitch, the Barcelona star, who earns close to $3.7 million a week, was beaten to the punch in Forbes’ list as he pocketed $155.5 million.

Neymar Jr.

Earnings: $142.56 million

The money rapidly began to roll in for Neymar in 2013 after his move to Barcelona from Santos.

However, his move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 saw his income skyrocket, with Neymar pocketing $142.5 million alone in 2020.

The Brazilian can earn over $740,000 for a sponsored Instagram post, and the French champs are set to offer him a new $61 million-a-year contract to keep him away from Barcelona.