Lionel Messi tops David Beckham on football's rich list

Barcelona's Lionel Messi has deposed David Beckham to top France Football's list of the highest-paid players. The Argentina forward is said to have made £29.7m last year. Beckham, who has been first or second in each of the last nine years, took home £27.3m in 2009, according to the report. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo was third with £27m, while teammate Kaka was a distant fourth with £16.9m. Thierry Henry was fifth with £16.2m. Ronaldinho (£15.5m), Carlos Tevez (£13.8m), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£13m), Frank Lampard (£12.8m) and Samuel Eto'o (£12.4m) completed the top ten. France Football, which has ranked the best-paid players since 1999, calculated the figures based on salary and endorsements.