It is an undeniable fact that football is the most popular sport in the world. The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event after the Olympic Games. Names like Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are household to people from Papua New Guinea to the smallest town in Congo. This kind of huge global interest inevitably draws in astronomical amounts of cash, which is one of the reasons footballers get paid so much money. We have compiled a top 5 list of the richest footballers in the world

5. Wayne Rooney (England-Manchester United) Net worth: $95 million

Wayne Rooney signed the biggest contact in British football history recently. He will be paid 365,000 Euros weekly for the next five years. He also rakes in a lot more by endorsing brands like Nike.

4. Zlatan ibrahimovic (Sweden-Paris Saint Germain) Net worth: $100 million

The immensely talented Zlatan was the most expensive footballer in 2013 . he made a great fortune by signing lucrative deals with clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and PSG.

3. Kaka (Brazil) Net worth: $110 million

Kaka came from a wealthy family bit managed to make millions more on by his own. He is retired from football, but still earns plenty of money through deals with popular brands like EA Sports, Adidas and Sony. he also has luxury apartments in Manhattan, New York and other cities like Milan and Madrid.

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina-Barcelona) Net worth: $180 million

Second spot is received for brilliant leo Messi. He receives 15 million Euros per annum from 2012 till 2018 in accordance to the contract he has signed with his club. He also makes a lot of money through endorsements with reputed companies like Adidas.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal-Real Madrid) Net worth: $230 million

Top honours goes to the Real Madrid strikes Ronaldo, who like Messi is a brand in his own right. he is the wealthiest football player in the world, costing Real Madrid $132 million in 2009 to sign him from Manchester United. He is the second highest endorser in football history after David Beckham.