Messi has licence to print money

– Lionel Messi (above) has overtaken his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest earner in world football while Jose Mourinho tops the managers’ chart, according to France Football magazine.

The Barcelona attacker is a long way ahead in the figures for the current season, pulling in €126 million in salary, bonuses and commercial revenue while his great Real Madrid rival is making €94m.

Last season “CR7” led with €87.5m with Messi on €76.5m.

That works out at €25 000 per minute pitch time this season for Messi in La Liga, the Champions League, the Spanish Cup and Supercup and four international appearances for his country Argentina this season, and assuming he plays in all of Barcelona’s five remaining games.

The two players who have split the last 10 Ballons d’Or are followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar on €81.5m in the calculations to be published by France Football today and released to AFP yesterday.

There is a big gap to Ronaldo’s Real team-mate Gareth Bale on €44m and Barca defender Gerard Pique on €29m.

Among coaches, Manchester United’s Mourinho remains the biggest earner with €26m.

Next comes China boss Marcello Lippi on €23m, followed by former Argentina hardman Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, legendary Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who has won the last two Champions League titles at Real and Pep Guardiola, who has just led Manchester City to the English Premier League.