Top Richest footballers in the World

Former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzales is the richest Spanish footballer, according to a recent report run by Goal.com on the sport’s richest.

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Raul who nows players for Qatari side Al Sadd, after a spell with German club Schalke, is worth around €44m, beating Barcelona striker David Villa (€43m), Iker Casillas (€35m) and Fernando Torres (€29m).



Another former Los Blancos player, David Beckham is number one on the list, earning a staggering 200m euros, whilst Barca’s Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit second and third respectively.



Another Real Madrid player, Kaka is fourth on the list, whilst Ronaldinho, now playing Brazil sits fifth.



Full List



1. David Beckham (PSG) – 200 million euros



2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – € 134m



3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – € 130m



4. Kaká (Real Madrid) – € 80m



5. Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro) – € 73m



6. Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala) – € 60m



7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – € 58m



8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG) – € 55m



9. Rivaldo (Sao Caetano) – € 53m



10. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) – € 49m



11. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – € 48m



12. Michael Owen (Stoke City) – € 46.5m



13. Raul Gonzalez (Al Sadd) – € 44m



14. David Villa (Barcelona) – € 43m



15. Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) – € 41m



16. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – € 40m



17. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – € 38m



18. Robbie Fowler (no team) – € 37.5m



19. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – € 37m



20. Robinho (AC Milan) – € 36m



21. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – € 35m



22. Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich) – € 33.5m



23. John Terry (Chelsea) – € 31.5m



24. Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) – € 29m



25. Fernando Torres (Chelsea) – € 29m



26. Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray) – € 25.5m



27. Nicolas Anelka (Juventus – transfer) – € 25m



28. Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) – € 24.5m



29. Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – € 24m



30. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) – € 24m



31. Francesco Totti (Roma) – € 24m



32. Petr Cech (Chelsea) – € 23m



33. Neymar (Santos) – € 23m



35. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) – € 23m



36. Joe Cole (West Ham United) – € 22.5m



37. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus) – € 22.5m



38. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – € 22m



39. Damien Duff (Fulham) – € 21.5m



40. Park Ji-Sung (QPR) – € 21m



41. Daniele De Rossi (Roma) – € 21m



42. Clarence Seedorf (Botafogo) – € 21m



43. David Trezeguet (River Plate) – € 20m



44. Xavi (Barcelona) – € 20m



45. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) – € 19.5m



46. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – € 19.5m



47. Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos) – € 19.5m



48. Michael Essien (Real Madrid – transfer) – € 19m



49. Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – € 19m



50. Alessandro Nesta (Montreal Impact) – € 18.5m

Essien back at Chelsea

Injured Real Madrid on-loan midfielder Michael Essien has returned to his English club Chelsea as he fights to regain fitness.



The presence of the Ghana international at Cobham has sparked hopes that new coach of the club Rafa Benitez could recall him following the sacking of Di Matteo.



The speculation over Essien’s likely return to Chelsea has heightened since it was revealed that Nigerian midfielder fJohn Obi Mikel could be the first victim of Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea reign.



But GHANAsoccernet.com insiders say Essien has been undergoing treatment at Cobham, Chelsea’s training ground, because of the medical expertise at the club.



The Ghanaian midfielder, on loan from Chelsea, has not played for Jose Mourinho’s side since the 2-1 La Liga win at Levante on November 11 and it is believed he may not be available for the remainder of 2012.



Essien may not be able to get on the pitch again for Real Madrid this year following an allergic reaction to medication since the injury and he is trying to find a quick solution.



However, speculation about Chelsea return grows with news that Mikel may be axed from the side for Wednesday’s match against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.



As Benitez aims to produce more opportunities for under pressure £50million striker Fernando Torres, Mikel could pay the price for his lack of creativity.



The Spaniard wants to reshape his side and believes that Mikel is too defensive in his position in front of the back four.



Mikel was missing from the key preparations for Chelsea’s derby with Fulham and could now be replaced by Oriel Romeu, who came on for him on Sunday.



The injury-prone Essien has been struggling with foot and other leg problems lately and it has been suggested that he has reacted poorly to medication he has taken to address those. He has also been on a specific training plan in order to gain full fitness.



Sami Khedira’s recovery from injury has prompted Madrid to rest Essien and he may even be sidelined until the New Year.

Essien eyes Europe success in Spain

Michael Essien has claimed it would be a great achievement to win the Champions League with Real Madrid.



The dynamic midfielder was positive about being reunited with Jose Mourinho after moving from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, but admitted he was surprised to have moved to Madrid.



"When I returned to Chelsea I never imagined that this could happen, but football is full of surprises," Essien said.



Essien, who recently became the first Ghanaian player to feature in El Clasico, told Marca.com: "It's no secret that Jose Mourinho has had a huge influence on my career since I arrived in England.



"So when he showed an interest in bringing me to Madrid I did not hesitate at all. One minute I was preparing to play in the Super Cup in Monaco and the next I was packing to travel to Madrid.



He continued: "Mourinho expects his players to work hard, and he always demands the most of them. He aspires to win all competition, he is a winner and he will always be a winner."



Essien won the Champions League with Chelsea last season and he hopes to help Madrid record a 10th European trophy.



"It would be a great achievement for the club and for city, and it would also be great, at a personal level, to win two consecutive Champions Leagues."