Top Earning Footballers in 2006

By: Bob | March 30th, 2007

Move over David Beckham. There is a new king on top of the ridiculously large mountain of money paid to footballers. According to Forbes magazine annual list of top paid football players, Barcelona’s Ronaldinho supplanted Beckham as the player with the most money entering his bank account in 2006.

None of the players on the Forbes list are likely to be declaring bankruptcy soon. Here are the top 10 best paid footballers. Based on just list, who would you say is the most overpaid and who is the most underpaid (yes, that is a tough term to use when you are talking this kind of money, but go ahead and play along).

Top Earning Footballers in 2006

1. Ronaldinho – $29.5 million, £16 million, €23.5 million
2. David Beckham – $29.1 million, £15.8 million, €23.2 million
3. Ronaldo – $23.4 million, £12.7 million, €18.6 million
4. Wayne Rooney – $17.2 million, £9.3 million, €13.7 million
5. Michael Ballack – $16.8 million, £9.1 million, €13.4 million
6. Thierry Henry – $15.8 million, £8.6 million, €12.6 million
7. Zinedine Zidane – $15.6 million, £8.5 million, €12.4 million
8. Fabio Cannavaro – $14.6 million, £7.9 million, €11.6 million
9. John Terry – $14.3 million, £7.7 million, €11.4 million
10. Steven Gerrard – $14.2 million, £7.7 million, €11.3 million

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Category: World Football

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Jordan

Booooooooooo ruin every 1s fun :( SAW 4 :D:D:D:D:DD:D
hatley

the geeza above me is not funny and just needs to grow up :) :D !!!!
Jordan

the geeza above me is a CUNT :) rooney may be ugly but he is 1 of the best players in the world Gearrd Is Almost DEAD :) xxxxx
hatley

STEVEN GERRARD IS BY FAR THE BEST MIDFIELDER IN THE WORLD, HE IS JUST SHEAR CLASS.ROONEY IS UGLY !!!
Grayson

Rooney and Ballack are definitely overpaid in every sense of the word. So is Beckham but i'd skip that as he's paid a lot from from marketing and fan merchandise etc.
Many more players are better than Beckham and not in this list: Kaka, Messi, Eto'o, Drogba, Owen, Fabregas, Torres and i can go on and on.

I respect these ballers regardless, but i only hope some of the other excellent stars of the game will get their due reward...soon.

Bless.
mastan khan

i think its nothing for zidane as he is the world best player
Lewis Y.

For me, David Beckham is over-paid. He's no more impressive.
Dawood

I think Zidan deserve to be the most highest paid soccer player, because he is (off the chain).
bill

players are stupid
bill

i think that players are too over paid.
Ian

I agree that Terry should be higher up on that list, but his position holds him back. Strikers are the ones that get the deals, regardless of the importance of a great defender. I'd frankly like to see more keepers making star-striker money. Isn't a diving save from Petr Cech just as valuable as a goal from Rooney?
Michael

I'm going to make a rather bold prediction and say that L'pool will be featuring two people on next year's list: Gerrard and Samuel Eto'o.
Sam

Ridiculous? Yep!
Luis

There will be a new name on that list next year. C. Ron = chaching!
David

Well it’s more of the name recognition that is providing those "overpaid" players the money. Sounds like they are finally getting into the American mindset of over-spending for players, regardless of their talent.
Brian

It's pretty obvious who's overpaid: Beckham, Ronaldo, Ballack, Zidane, and I would even throw Cannavaro in their as well. He's way too one dimensional.

Underpaid: Terry and Gerrard. Terry needs about $5m more tacked on just for hazard pay and Gerrard probably should be the highest paid Brit. If only he would get highlights.
Lucas

Er, I suppose Zidane is the most overpaid. I mean, $16mil? Didn't he retire?