Earn it like Beckham

EVEN although he is said to be picking up no pay at Paris Saint-Germain, David Beckham is still the highest-paid footballer on the planet.

A study by France Football showed that for 2012-2013 season he even earned more than four-times Ballon d'Or winner, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Beckham, who waived his €2 million pay when he joined from Los Angeles Galaxy last month and said he would donate it to a local charity, is thought to have made €36m this season with his PSG and Galaxy pay plus sponsorships and external revenue.

Messi is taking home €13m in annual pay and adding his sponsorship earnings gives him €35m. He has been top of the global earnings list for the past two years.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo takes the last step on the podium, earning €30m. The best-paid Frenchman is his team-mate Karim Benzema, who holds 20th position, with €12m.

Sergio Aguero of Manchester City is the UK’s highest-paid, in sixth place on €19m, with Wayne Rooney of Manchester United the second-top Briton in seventh with €18m.

PSG have three other players on the high earners’ list with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on €15m, Thiago Silva €9.6m and Ezequiel Lavezzi €9.4m.

Photo: C.Gavelle/PSG