Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has beat fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the title of the richest player in world football.
The players’ total income was taken into consideration and it includes salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.
According to Goal, Ronaldo is the second richest player with the total income of £97m behind Messi who has a total income of £112m.
Paris Saint Germain star Neymar, Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann and Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale complete the top five players on the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed an healthy rivalry for the better part of the last fifteen years.
The rivalry started when Ronaldo was at Manchester United and it has continued since then.
The 34-year-old joined Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 in a then world-record deal worth £80m.
Ronaldo spent nine fruitful years at Real Madrid before joining Italian champions Juventus last summer.
Juventus paid a club-record fee of €100m for the Portuguese national team skipper and he has repaid the Old Lady with a sensational first season.
He has scored 24 goals for Juventus in all competitions in his first season at the club.
Ronaldo has led Juventus to the top of the Italian Serie A table and the Champions League quarterfinals.
