Barcelona's Lionel Messi 'earning double what Cristiano Ronaldo is earning'

Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi pockets over the double the wages of Juventus's Cristiano Ronaldo before tax, according to newly-released figures.

The cash-strapped Catalans recently saw contract details of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner leaked to the media, as Messi continues to take home a staggering salary despite the financial implications caused by the coronavirus pandemic and his expiring deal.

According to the latest figures released by L'Equipe, Messi's annual wage before tax equates to £107.6m, while Ronaldo earns less than half of that at £46.5m, and Neymar is unsurprisingly the third-highest earner with £31.3m.

When it comes to Premier League players, Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale - known for his mammoth salary - is the highest-paid player in England with £25.6m per year, although Real Madrid are understood to be forking out 60% of that wage.

David de Gea (£18.9m), Kevin De Bruyne (£16.1m), Raheem Sterling (£15.2m), and Paul Pogba (£14.5m) complete the top five highest-paid Premier League players, while Pep Guardiola earns the most out of all the English top-flight coaches with £19.3m.

However, Guardiola's earnings are dwarfed by those of Diego Simeone - who recently saw his Atletico Madrid side crash out of the Champions League to Chelsea - with the Argentine taking home £36.9m pre-tax.