Messi crowned as highest-paid footballer ahead of Ronaldo with €8.3m per month

Lionel Messi is the best-paid player on the planet and rakes in an astonishing €8.3million a month before tax – nearly twice the amount that Cristiano Ronaldo does at Juventus.

In L'Equipe's annual salary report, the French news outlet has revealed who the 10 best-paid footballers in Europe are going by monthly wage before tax.

Of these 10, five play in Spain, a pair play in France and England respectively while just the one player features in Italy.

It's no secret that modern-day players are paid huge sums of money but the amount Messi receives on a monthly basis is extraordinary – even by footballers standards.

The Barcelona talisman signed a new contract in November 2017 which propelled him to the top of the list, beating long-term rival Ronaldo in second who earns a staggering €4.7m a month before tax.

Surprisingly, coming in third is Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid who earns €3.3m a month following his well-publicised contract renewal before the World Cup this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar follows Griezmann with a reported monthly earnings of €3.06m while Luis Suarez completes the top five with a monthly wage of €2.9m.

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale (€2.2m), Philippe Coutinho (€2.2m), Alexis Sanchez (€2.28m), Kylian Mbappe (€1.73m) and Mesut Ozil (€1.6m) complete the list.

Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski failed to break into the top 10 list with a reported monthly earning of €1.33m in the Bundesliga.

The French newspaper also reported that Mbappe's monthly wage increase by €180,000 between his first and second season at the Parisan club following his big-money switch from Monaco.