Ronaldo is world’s richest footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo is the wealthiest footballer in the world with a personal fortune of £152m - some £7m more than his rival Lionel Messi.

After an outstanding 2014, which saw Ronaldo inspire Real Madrid to Champions League success and win the Ballon d'Or, he has increased the wealth gap to the Barcelona and Argentina star.

According to the Goal.com Rich List, released yesterday, Ronaldo and Messi enjoy fortunes considerably higher than any other footballer currently playing professionally.

Their totals, which take into account sponsorship revenue as well as wages and bonuses, are well above that of Neymar, who comes third in the list with a fortune of £97.9m.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden is worth £76.1m, while Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is the highest-ranked Englishman on the list in fifth position on £74.6m.