Of the top 10 identified by L’Equipe, five players ply their trade in La Liga while only two represent the Premier League.
Alexis Sanchez is one of these with his bumper Manchester United contract putting him among the top players in the world, despite his disappointing recent on-field performances.
Two other stars on the list play in France, including Neymar who is ranked a surprise fourth in the wage stakes.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski (£1.2m) and PSG heroes Edinson Cavani (£1.3m), Thiago Silva (£1m) and Angel Di Maria (£1m) all missed out – but who makes it into the top 10?
Lionel Messi earns nearly double the wages of Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the latter joining Juventus (Image: GETTY)
Paris Saint-Germain duo Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria both miss out on the top 10 (Image: GETTY)
Top highest-paid footballers based on monthly wages
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Gareth Bale earns £2.2million every month despite patchy on-field performances at Real Madrid (Image: GETTY)
5. Luis Suarez (Barcelona) – £2.5m
4. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) – £2.7m
3. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) – £2.9m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) – £4.1m
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – £7.3m
Messi is easily the highest-paid footballer in the world (Image: GETTY)