Cristiano Ronaldo topped Wealth-X’s June 2014 ranking of the richest footballers competing in the FIFA World Cup, with an estimated net worth of US$230 million. Lionel Messi ranked second at US$180 million. The figures are historical estimates, not audited valuations or measures of what the players earned that year.
Who were the 10 richest footballers at the 2014 World Cup?
The following ranking reproduces Wealth-X’s estimated net worth figures as reported in June 2014. The Guardian published the complete top ten; Wealth-X’s announcement confirmed the top five. These estimates should not be read as current fortunes.
| Rank | Footballer | National team | Estimated net worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | US$230 million |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | US$180 million |
| 3 | Wayne Rooney | England | US$95 million |
| 4 | Didier Drogba | Côte d’Ivoire | US$90 million |
| 5 | Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon | US$75 million |
| 6 | Yaya Touré | Côte d’Ivoire | US$70 million |
| 7 | Frank Lampard | England | US$60 million |
| 8 | Steven Gerrard | England | US$55 million |
| 9 | Fernando Torres | Spain | US$50 million |
| 10 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | US$50 million |
Source: Wealth-X estimates published in June 2014, reproduced in The Guardian’s full ranking and partly confirmed in Wealth-X’s announcement via PR Newswire.
What the 2014 ranking shows
- Ronaldo’s US$230 million estimate was nearly one-quarter of the top ten’s combined US$955 million, according to The Guardian’s contemporaneous report.
- England had three players in the list: Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard. Côte d’Ivoire had two: Drogba and Touré.
- Buffon was the only goalkeeper among the ten; the other nine were forwards or midfielders, according to the report.
- The final two places were tied: Torres and Buffon were each estimated at US$50 million.
Net worth is not annual earnings
Wealth-X’s list estimates net worth, a measure of wealth accumulated at a point in time; it is not a ranking of salary, tournament pay or annual income. A separate Forbes earnings list published in June 2014 put Ronaldo’s total earnings at US$80 million, including salary and winnings and endorsements. That different measure cannot be substituted for Wealth-X’s US$230 million net-worth estimate.
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Neymar illustrates why commercial visibility does not by itself establish a place in this ranking. Wealth-X’s announcement said he was not among its top ten and estimated his net worth at US$25 million. Forbes later reported that Neymar’s shirt was Fanatics.com’s top-selling World Cup jersey in the first week of the tournament, with sales up 200% compared with the days before kickoff, and estimated his endorsements at US$16 million a year. Those sales and endorsement figures describe commercial activity, not net worth. Forbes’ July 2014 report covered that context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How precise are these estimates?
Wealth-X described the figures as estimated net worth, and its June 11, 2014 announcement identifies Ronaldo as the leader and supplies values for the top five. The Guardian provides the full ranking. The accessible reports do not detail Wealth-X’s valuation methodology or give an exact valuation date for each player, so the figures should be treated as contemporaneous estimates rather than exact or audited balances.
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