1. LEONEL MESSI ? 46 MILION
Standing head and shoulders above his rivals in terms of annual wage, few could argue against Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi earning the most of any of his fellow superstars, with the Argentinian continuing to prove why he could be the greatest of all time.
2. NEYMAR ? 36 MILION
The transfer of Brazilian phenomenon Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain this past summer shocked the entire world of sport. The 25-year-old became the world’s most expensive footballer of all time, but can only get bronze in terms of his annual wage.
3. OSCAR ? 24 MILION
Yet another South American star who abandoned European football in favour of the CSL, Oscar left Chelsea just over a year ago to join compatriot Hulk at Shanghai SIPG and, in the process, earn himself a small fortune each year.
4. EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI ? 23 MILION
Argentinian winger Ezequiel Lavezzi is finally showing Hebei China Fortune fans why he is the 5th best paid player on the planet, after an injury-ridden first season in the Chinese Super League.
5. CRISTIANO RONALDO ? 21 MILION
The Portuguese superstar may be reaching the back end of his glittering career, but he still takes home a mammoth pay packet every year. Ronaldo remains the darling of Real Madrid, but his time in the Spanish capital is coming to an end it seems.
6. HULK ? 20 MILION
Powerful Brazilian forward Hulk was one of the first big superstars to arrive in China and he was handsomely rewarded as a result. Plying his trade for Shanghai SIPG, the 31-year-old has scored 34 goals in 52 games.
7. KYLIAN MBAPPE ? 18 MILION
What a rise to the top Kylian Mbappe has had. Almost completely unheard of over a year ago, the PSG forward is already one of the most dangerous forwards in the world and is the youngest player in this list.
8. AXEL WITSEL ? 18 MILION
Witsel, whose salary so far was around 3 million euros in Russia, will collect around 18 million euros a year in China. Definitely this guy made a good economic choice!
9. PAUL POGBA ? 17.5 MILION
Formerly the world’s most expensive player, following his move from Juventus back to Manchester United two seasons ago, French international Pogba is the highest paid player in the Premier League.
10. GRAZIANO PELLE ? 17 MILION
The Shandong Luneng striker is the first of a number of players based in the Chinese Super League that make up this list. Pelle left Southampton in 2016 to chase the money in the east, having established himself as an Italian international following his form for the Saints.