The top five
1. Coming in at No. 1 is 25-year-old Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Rinaldo, who earns 79.64 crore* (£11,300,000, €13,210,184) per year as a forward for Italian football club Real Madrid. Rinaldo -- who also captains the Portuguese national team -- is the most-expensive soccer player in history. Real Madrid bought his rights from U.K.-based Manchester United in a 2009 trade -- for a cool $132 million.
2. Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes in at number two, earning a reported 73.29 crore (£10,400,000, € 12,158,046) for the 2009-2010 season. The 29-year-old striker plays for Barcelona and the Swedish national team; and until Rinaldo's Real Madrid deal was inked in 2009, Ibrahimovic was soccer's highest-paid player.
3. At 22, Lionel Messi is the youngest player to make the top-20 list of highest-paid soccer stars. Messi's 2009-2010 contract is worth 64.13 crore (£9,100,000, € 10,638,290). Messi, a striker for Barcelona, will represent his home-country of Argentina at this year's World Cup.
4. Samuel Eto'o is the captain of Cameroon's national team and a member of Italy's Internazionale club. The striker was part of the team that won the 2000 Summer Olympics and will participate in his third World Cup tournament this year. His experience has paid off -- his current contract is worth 64.13 crore (£9,100,000, € 10,638,290).
5. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, more commonly known as Kaka to fans, rounds out the top five. Kaka, 27, hails from Brazil and will make 61.31 crore (£8,700,000, € 10,170,673) as a midfielder for Real Madrid this year. Before teammate Cristiano Rinaldo's Real Madrid deal, Kaka also spent time at the top of the highest-paid players list.
The rest of the top 20
6. Karim Benzema
Country: France
Club Team: Real Madrid
Age: 22
Salary: 52.15 crore; £7,400,000; € 8,650,917
7. Carlos Tevez
Country: Argentina
Club Team: Manchester City
Age: 26
Salary: 49.33 crore; £7,000,000; € 8,183,300
8. John Terry
Country: England
Club Team: Chelsea
Age: 29
Salary: 45.81 crore; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
9. Frank Lampard
Country: England
Club Team: Chelsea
Age: 31
Salary: 45.81 crore; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
10. Thierry Henry
Country: France
Club Team: Barcelona
Age: 32
Salary: 45.81 crore; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
11. Xavi
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Age: 30
Salary: $9,813,809; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
12. Ronaldinho
Country: Brazil
Club Team: AC Milan
Age: 30
Salary: $9,813,809; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
13. Steven Gerrard
Country: England
Club Team: Liverpool
Age: 29
Salary: $9,813,809; £6,500,000; € 7,598,778
14. Daniel Alves
Country: Brazil
Club Team: Barcelona
Age: 26
Salary: $9,209,882; £6,100,000; € 7,131,161
15. Michael Ballack
Country: Germany
Club Team: Chelsea
Age: 33
Salary: 39.46 crore; £5,600,000; € 6,546,640
16. Raul
Country: Spain
Club Team: Real Madrid
Age: 32
Salary: 39.46 crore; £5,600,000; € 6,546,640
17. Rio Ferdinand
Country: England
Club Team: Manchester United
Age: 31
Salary: 39.46 crore; £5,600,000; € 6,546,640
18. Kolo Toure
Country: Ivory Coast
Club Team: Manchester City
Age: 29
Salary: $8,454,974; £5,600,000; € 6,546,640
19. Wayne Rooney
Country: England
Club Team: Manchester United
Age: 24
Salary: $7,851,047; £5,200,000; € 6,546,640
20. Robinho
Country: Brazil
Club Team: Manchester City
Age: 26
*Soccer player salary information provided by Portuguese marketing agency Futebol Finance