Cristiano Ronaldo tops Rich List with fortune of £152m... that's £7m more than Barcelona rival Lionel Messi

 

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 on Thursday, 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 on £74.6m.

Brazilian star Kaka, about to start his career with Orlando City in Major League Soccer, is sixth in the rankings on £69.6m, followed by Samuel Eto'o (£63.1m), Raul (£61.6m) and Ronaldinho (£60.2m).

Former England midfielder Frank Lampard, currently playing for Manchester City ahead of his move to New York City in the MLS, rounds out the top 10 with a personal fortune of £58m.

Other English players in the top 20 are Rio Ferdinand (12th, £52.2m), Steven Gerrard (14th, £46.4m) and John Terry (20th, £40.6m).

here are two other Man City players listed, with Yaya Toure in 15th on £44.9m and Sergio Aguero 19th on £42m.

Last year's Goal Rich List revealed Ronaldo had a personal wealth of £122m, with Messi close behind on £120.5m.