( Careerbuilder.com ) -- To most Americans , David Beckham is a soccer superstar . But to the rest of the world , he 's pretty much an average professional footballer -- at least in terms of salary . Beckham 's nearly $ 6.5 million annual contract does n't even crack the list of the top 20 highest-paid soccer stars , and barely puts him onto the list of the top 50 earners in the sport . Soccer versus American football salaries . Although top athletes in neither sport are lacking in terms of base pay , the salaries of NFL players surpass those of professional soccer players . For the NFL 's 2009-2010 season , average salary for the top five highest-paid players ( not including endorsement deals ) was $ 20.32 million . For the top five footballers , salaries averaged $ 14.67 million . In honor of the World Cup , here 's a look at the paychecks that go with being a star of the world 's favorite sport . The top 5 . 1 . Coming in at No . 1 is 25-year-old Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo , who earns $ 17.06 million* per year as a forward for Spanish football club Real Madrid . Ronaldo , who also captains the Portuguese national team , is the most expensive soccer player in history . Real Madrid bought him from English club Manchester United in 2009 for a cool $ 132 million . 2 . Sweden 's Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes in at No . 2 , earning a reported $ 15.7 million for the 2009-2010 season . The 29-year-old striker plays for Barcelona and the Swedish national team . Until Ronaldo 's Real Madrid deal was inked in 2009 , Ibrahimovic was soccer 's highest-paid player . 3 . At 22 , Lionel Messi is the youngest player to make the top 20 list of highest-paid soccer stars . Messi 's 2009-2010 contract is worth $ 13.74 million . Messi , a striker for Spanish champions Barcelona , will represent his home country , Argentina , at this year 's World Cup . 4 . Samuel Eto ' o is the captain of Cameroon 's national team and a member of Italy 's Inter Milan club , the European champions . The striker was part of the team that won the 2000 Summer Olympics and will participate in his third World Cup tournament this year . His experience has paid off ; his current contract is worth $ 13.74 million . 5 . Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , more commonly known as Kaka to fans , rounds out the top five . Kaka , 27 , hails from Brazil and will make $ 13.13 million as a midfielder for Real Madrid this year . Before teammate Ronaldo 's Real Madrid deal , Kaka also spent time at the top of the highest-paid players list . The rest of the top 20 . 6 . Karim Benzema Country : France Club Team : Real Madrid Age : 22 Salary : $ 11.17 million . 7 . Carlos Tevez Country : Argentina Club Team : Manchester City Age : 26 Salary : $ 10.57 million . 8 . John Terry Country : England Club Team : Chelsea Age : 29 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 9 . Frank Lampard Country : England Club Team : Chelsea Age : 31 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 10 . Thierry Henry Country : France Club Team : Barcelona Age : 32 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 11 . Xavi Country : Spain Club Team : Barcelona Age : 30 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 12 . Ronaldinho Country : Brazil Club Team : AC Milan Age : 30 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 13 . Steven Gerrard Country : England Club Team : Liverpool Age : 29 Salary : $ 9.81 million . 14 . Daniel Alves Country : Brazil Club Team : Barcelona Age : 26 Salary : $ 9.21 million . 15 . Michael Ballack Country : Germany Club Team : Chelsea Age : 33 Salary : $ 8.45 million . 16 . Raul Country : Spain Club Team : Real Madrid Age : 32 Salary : $ 8.45 million . 17 . Rio Ferdinand Country : England Club Team : Manchester United Age : 31 Salary : $ 8.45 million . 18 . Kolo Toure Country : Ivory Coast Club Team : Manchester City Age : 29 Salary : $ 8.45 million . 19 . Wayne Rooney Country : England Club Team : Manchester United Age : 24 Salary : $ 7.85 million . 20 . Robinho Country : Brazil Club Team : Manchester City Age : 26 Salary : $ 7.85 million . *Soccer player salary information provided by Portuguese marketing agency Futebol Finance . & copy CareerBuilder.com 2011 . All rights reserved . The information contained in this article may not be published , broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority .
For the top five soccer players in the world , they earn $ 14.67 million . Real Madrid 's star forward , Ronaldo earns $ 17.06 million a year . Lionel Messi , 22 , is the youngest among the highest - paid soccer players with $ 13.74 million . Olympic medal winner Samuel Eto ' o has a contract worth $ 15 million .