Yaya Toure

yaya toure

The highest earning international athletes. With endorsement king of the world David Beckham now retired, Cristiano Ronaldo takes the top spot—but not by much. Lionel Messi, whose salary was just increased to exceed Ronaldo’s, is close on his heels despite having far less in endorsement money. Soccer salaries are up, up, up, all across the board, which is why tennis stars Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka missed the cut.

International 20

Earning 220,000 pounds per week, Toure doesn’t make as much as some of the other stars on this list, and he’s aware of it. Recent reports have said that Toure has threatened to leave Manchester City if he doesn’t get more money. He signed a new four-year deal with the team last year, and has said he’ll wait until after the World Cup to make any big decisions.