No. 10 Lionel Messi
$32.3 million
Soccer
Age: 23
Messi earns $16 million annually on the pitch, and he has recently built up his endorsement portfolio, which now includes Adidas, PepsiCo, Konami, Audemars Piguet, Chery and AirEuropa.
Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner.[15][16][17][18] His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona, from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883.[19][20] He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named María Sol.[21] At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge.[22] In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario.[22] At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.[23] The traditional River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for treatment for his condition which cost $900 a month.[18] Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial.[18] Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered Messi a contract written on a paper napkin.[24][25]Barcelona offered to pay for Messi's medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi enrolled in the club's youth academy.[22][25]
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